Divergent- Modern Day
by mihhelle
Summary: There's two weeks of summer left, and Tris can't wait until she returns to boarding school, where she can be herself, not the selfless person her parents want her to be. Then comes Four, who swoops her off her feet but leaves her standing in the rubble. Tris has heard of his reputation, and she doesn't know what to do. Has Four really changed? Are his player days really over?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Divergent. If I did, Allegiant would've ended differently.**

This whole summer has flown by. I have exactly 16 days left until I get shipped back to boarding school. Yes, I am counting. In a way, I'm excited. This year, I'll be a junior at Roth Prep, which means now as an upperclassman, I get to choose my own 'faction'. My parents were abnegation. I'm expected to follow in their footsteps, to become a helpful, selfless person like them. The problem: I can't _always _put others before me. Sometimes it feels good to self-indulge. Sometimes I am jealous of my brother, Caleb. Being selfless comes natural to him. He doesn't have to try so hard.

I shake my head to awaken myself from my sleepy daze. This summer, I've been stressing so much about school and the factions that I'm surprised I haven't sprouted any gray hairs. That's why, for the remainder of my summer, I'm not going to think any more about school. I'll worry about that when the time comes. For now, I have other things to focus on. _Like Christina's crazy new obsession over finding me my dream guy _I inwardly groan.

Christina's been feeling very adventurous lately. She's been taking me to the mall and all sorts of places lately, and even though she won't admit it, I know she's trying to find me a guy.

That reminds me, she's taking me out for lunch today.

I text her to confirm our plans for today.

_Me: Still on for lunch today?_

_Christina: Yeah, and PLEASE don't wear that hideous baggy sweatshirt of yours._

_Me: Sure, if you take me to Wet 'n Wild_

_Christina: Okay, fine. If I have enough time, MAYBE I'll swing by a few hours early and we'll go. MAYBE._

_Me: YOU ARE THE BEST EVER IN THE WHOLE WIDE WORLD THANK YOU SO MUCH._

We live in Hollywood Beach, FL. We're closer to Orlando than most of the country, but it srill takes about four hours to get to the Parks. I can't travel such long distances on my tiny blue Vespa, so Christina has to take us in her car.

I through on some jean shorts and an old shirt. I grab my dark blue bikini (which Christina bought, my parents would never buy me something so revealing). Just as I finish getting ready, I hear a knock at the door.

Christina's early! We're going to the water park!

I swing open the door and blindly throw myself at Christina, launching into what has to be the tightest of all hugs. I'm so happy to be going to the water park!

I keep Christina wrapped tight in my embrace four about three seconds before I start noticing that something is off. First of all, when did Christina get so strong? And why doesn't she smell like Angel perfume?

That's when I notice that the person I'm hugging isn't actually Christina. It's not even a _girl_.

The guy I pounced on is lean and fit in a way that is effortless. He is dressed head to toe in black, but not in a way that makes him look mean and cold. He has a full lower lip and a spare upper lip, but that's not what gets to me. It's his eyes. They are a deep, dark blue that leave you staring, wanting to get lost in them.

The stranger clears his throat awkwardly.

_Oh gosh Tris get it together. _

He already thinks I'm insane for jumping on him, it doesn't really help that I can't come up with anything to say.

He holds out a basket filled with cookies. "I just moved into the neighborhood. My dad wanted me to take these to all our neighbors as a way to introduce ourselves. I think yours might be the most enthusiastic response I've gotten yet." He says sarcastically.

Heat floods my cheeks, probably putting tomatoes to shame. "I thought you were my friend Christina,"

"I can see how you would mistake me for a girl" he says. Great, more sarcasm, just what I need.

"Funny _and _confident. You sure are the whole package." I snort "I'm Tris by the way, nice to meet you." I say.

"I'm Four" he replies. He braces himself, as if ready for me to comment something about his name. I don't. I've heard much stranger names from the dauntless in my school and from the books I've read.

His eyes warm up to me a little more, and I feel like I've passed some sort of test, like I've gained his approval.

He smiles at me and nods at his car. "Well, I guess I better get going, my dad wants me to finish this today. I'll see you around, Tris."

"See you around"


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi guys, so here's the second chapter. I'll be updating 2-4 times a week, depending on how much homework and volleyball I have. Stay tuned, the next one will be from Four's POV. Remember to review!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own divergent. **

Christina texted me half an hour later saying that she was going to have to bail, followed by some lame excuse which in our language translates to "I don't have enough patience for such a long car ride, sorry."

So, after five minutes of lying in my bed, I decided to go for a run. I was never really into running, but I do like looking at all the cute little ducks and pelicans in the street.

I circle the island about five times before I notice the door to the house in front of ours, one of the oldest houses in the whole neighborhood is open. When Christina and I were kids, we would tag along with all the other kids in the neighborhood and meet at this house for our weekly "cheese club" meetings (long story). That was until one day we heard voices from upstairs so we ditched the place. Ever since then we've called it "the haunted house"

If there are kids in here, I have to tell them to get out because they are trespassing. My mom would be mad if I didn't. I jog up the driveway and nervously ease the door open, careful not to make any noise. I slowly inch inside the house, determined not to show any fear. _This is silly. It's only a house. Nothing to be scared of. _I say to myself.

I walked into the living room to get a good view of the house. No lights were on, but some furniture was placed randomly throughout the house. A toilet in the kitchen, a sofa stacked on its side. _Oh gosh _I thought to myself _someone's probably moving in, GET OUT NOW._

I spun around abruptly to leave, but I just swiveled right into someone. No wait, not just anyone, _Four. Of course. _I think, mentally slapping myself. _He did say he was moving in. _I seriously have to stop running into him like this.

"You know, I didn't pin you as the stalker type." He tells me.

Heat floods my cheeks. "I wasn't stalking you. I was simply worried for the safety of my community."

I probably sound like a total freak by know. He probably thinks I go into abandoned houses in my free time.

_Say something normal, Tris, anything. _

"So, I guess you live here now, huh?"

"Yeah. This house has been in the family for a long time. We're moving in because it's closer to my dad's new office."

His eyes darken when he talks about his dad. _Teenager problems. _I think to myself. _That's all it is. _I assure myself. But there's something in his eyes that begs to differ.

However, as soon as it came, the look vanished, replaced by a sly smirk, leaving me to wonder if I had imagined it all in the first place.

"So, how are you liking the neighborhood?" I inquired, suddenly remembering my manners.

"Oh it's great, really. Way warmer than Chicago. The only downside is that I don't know the place."

"I could show you around?" I offered, making it sound more like a question than an actual offer.

"Really?"

"Yeah, sure. But we should probably take your car." I said, remembering the black jeep he was driving around earlier today. "Unless you want to squeeze into my Vespa"

He gives a deep chuckle. "Alright, sure, we'll take my car. When are you free?"

Is this a date? No, not a date. _I _asked _him._ He's just being polite and accepting my offer. He probably has a girlfriend, or tons of girls throwing himself at him. He would probably chose any of them over me.

I've been quiet for too long. He probably thinks that _I _think he's asking me out. _Say something funny, Tris. Break the tension._

"I'm always free. This is America!" I say patriotically.

He laughs again. Oh god his _laugh. _How adorable. He should laugh more often, it suits him. _No. _I think to myself. _Don't say that, you just met him, you can't like him. Plus, you'll never see him again once school starts. No point in starting something you won't finish._

"All right Uncle Sam. How about tomorrow at around noon-ish?"

"Sounds like a plan. Text me before you leave."

"I think that would be a problem, considering the fact that I don't have your number." He says

He hands me his phone and asks me to add myself to his contacts. I input my number and save my contact as 'Tris rocks 3'. Then I text myself and save his number.

"See you tomorrow four" I say, waving goodbye.

"Okay, see you tomorrow."

I jog home to get in the shower. I walk into my room to get my clothes. My reflection in the tiny mirror across the room catches my eye. My hair is messy with loose strands poking out. My shirt is bunched up near the bottom, showing a tiny sliver of skin. It's also dotted with sweat on the back. My face is shiny from sweat, and my cheeks are pink. _Such a turn on. _I think sarcastically to myself.

I probably smell like sweat too. I'm surprised Four didn't kick me out of his house as soon as he saw me.

I hop into the shower and get dressed in my PJ's once I'm done, even though it's only three o'clock. I lie in bed and text Christina, telling her I can't go to lunch with her tomorrow because I promised to show someone around town.

Christina calls me immediately.

"Tris? Hello Tris? You're going out? With who? PLEASE tell me it's a boy." She says into the phone.

"Yes, it's with a boy" I reply reluctantly. "But it's not a date or anything, we're just hanging out as friends. No big deal"

"Aghhhhhh this is so exiting. What's his name?" She asks.

"Four"

"Wait, you mean the guy who just moved in across the street from your house?" One thing that will never cease to amaze me is that Christina knows everything. All the gossip, all the news. By the time you find out about something, it's already old news to Christina.

"Yeah, do you know him?" I reply.

"Well, kind of. He goes to Roth High, he's in Dauntless. Will's on the football team with him." So he goes to Dauntless. If I end up joining their faction, I'll probably see four every day. "Will says he's nice to his friends, but he's a total player when it comes to girls." She hesitates a bit, and then continues. "You know I'm all for you going on dates and stuff, but you might want to sit this one out. He sounds like a tool"

I consider what Christina's saying. "I think your right, I'll just hang out with him for tomorrow and then cease all contact. I don't want to be rude and cancel" I tell her.

I can practically hear her rolling her eyes over the phone. Christina is the type of person who says what's on her mind, without thinking about whether people will be hurt in the process. Her motto is "politeness is deception in pretty packaging"

"Okay, fine. But if it were me I'd just tell him I don't like him and that's that" she says.

"Bye Christina" I say, forcing an end to the conversation.

"Whatever, don't say I didn't warn you" she says, and hangs up.

I lie in bed thinking about Four, and his eyes and his smile and how he doesn't seem like the person Christina says he is. For the first time in months, I don't have to try to keep my mind from wandering off to school and the factions, because something else is on my mind.

And I can't say the distraction is unwelcome.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own Divergent  
**Four POV

So far, I've been at Hollywood Beach for three days, and I hate it. It's not the place that bothers me though, it's my dad. I used to spend the whole year at boarding school, staying at their sleep away camp during vacations. I would only come home during Thanksgiving to get my yearly allowance from my dad and to assure what's left of my family that I was not, in fact, dead.

I was fine with that. The less I had to see my dad, the better. I absolutely hate him. He puts on a pretty mask when he's in front of other people, but I know who he really is. When the mask comes off, a horrible monster waits behind it, and I have to face it alone. I guess it's pretty obvious why I'm not even remotely happy at the chance to spend over three months every year with my dad in his new house.

Or, at least, I thought I wouldn't be happy, until I met Tris.

Okay, I'm not going to be cheesy, it wasn't love at first sight. I just saw her and she was… captivating. She isn't pretty. No, the word pretty is too small for her. She's different. She got my attention, and not like most girls I date.

I have a reputation at Roth High. Within the Dauntless, everyone knows me as Four, the player. I never thought much of it, I was never bothered by my reputation. But meeting Tris made me wonder if maybe I was doing something wrong.

I've decided I'm going to get to know Tris. She probably has a boyfriend. It probably won't lead to anything, but I guess it's worth trying.

I tried catching up on my summer reading, but it's no use, I'm hopelessly distracted. Tris is really getting into my head. I put my book down on one of the moving boxes in my room and just lay down. I play some music out loud to clear my head a little.

About thirty seconds into my music, my dad bursts through the door. I hustle to silence my phone.

"Tobias," he says once the music is under control. "you will not be this disruptive as long as you are under my roof." He has a mad look in his eyes that I recognize. It's the same look he gives me right before he takes out his belt to whip me. Right before he hit my mom for the last time. Right before she died. He takes his belt off and orders me to turn around. He whips me repeatedly on my back, where the scars won't show. Blinding pain shoots through my back, and I'm starting to see dots at the edges of my vision. I'm barely conscious once he's done, so I lie on my stomach, wondering what I could've ever done to deserve this.

I don't know how I can be in the same house as a man as evil as my father without turning into him. Maybe I am turning into him. Maybe that's why I use all those girls. I try to be nice with people, but it's hard. I'm no bully, not yet, but I also won't be winning a medal for my kindness anytime soon.

I woke up the next morning and bandaged the fresh scars on my back to make sure they wouldn't bleed through my shirt on my unofficial date with Tris. I threw on a black shirt and some black jeans. All my clothes are black because, seeing as I usually spend almost all year at dauntless, there is no need to own anything that isn't black. Just as I finished brushing my teeth, I heard my phone chime with the notification of a text message. The screen lit up with Tris' picture, making my heart flutter. Weird.

I opened the text message. "Bring a bathing suit, we're going to the beach" it read.

Tris POV

I woke up the next morning with a ray of sunlight shining directly into my eyes. I forgot to close the stupid blinds. I made my way across the room, and just as I was about to close the shades, I noticed that I could see directly into Four's room through my window. I tore my eyes from his room immediately. If he caught me staring, it would only make me look like more of a creep.

I texted Four telling him to bring a bathing suit because we were going to the beach. At exactly 12:05, Four was knocking on my door.

I swung the door open and let Four in.

"Give me a minute. I'm going to go use the bathroom real quick" I said, leaving him in the living room with my brother.

I returned from the bathroom to find my brother yelling and cursing profusely at four.

"YOU are NOT good enough for my little sister." Caleb said. "You think you can just play her like every other girl, but it's not going to work. I know what you're up to." Then he turned to me "Tris, you can't be seeing him. He just wants to get into your pants." He says bluntly.

Four was just sitting there, taking it. He actually looked wounded, as if what Caleb was saying actually affected him.

But what bothers me the most is that Caleb doesn't think I can defend myself. He thinks he has to make my decisions for me.

"Do you seriously think I don't know that!?" I yelled furiously at Caleb. "I know he's a player, and a cheater. I'm just being _nice_. I'm showing him around the neighborhood because he's _new_. It doesn't mean we're going to start dating. It doesn't even mean I _like_ him!"

This, of course, was all a lie. I _do _like Four, because even if he is a player, he isn't acting like that around me, he's just being normal.

But of course, Four has no way of knowing that everything I just spat out at my brother in a fit of rage was a lie. At first, he looks baffled, but then his face falls, his eyes sadden.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't know you felt that way. I didn't mean to be a burden." He says quietly. "I'll just go now, you don't have to show me around."

**A/N So, what do you guys think? Should the next one be entirely from Four's POV or more of Tris? Or should I just make it entirely Tris' POV? I'm not that good writing from a guy's POV. Do you think I made Four look a little weak in the end? I'm not sure whether I should make him emotional or not in the next chapter. Remember guys, I take all your opinions into consideration, so review. Thanks for all the great reviews so far!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I don't own Divergent**

**A/N This chapter starts where Four's POV left off so some of the events of the last chapter will be repeated from Four's POV**

**Four's POV **

I walked over to Tris' house in a hurry. I was really looking forward to spending time with her. She takes my mind off of my dad. I patted my backpack with all my beach stuff in it for about the millionth time, making sure I brought my sun shirt. I can't let Tris see the scars on my back. I'm afraid she'll look at me like I'm some kind of kicked puppy. If she does, then I'll know she really isn't different after all, and I'm not ready for that kind of deception yet.

I knock on the door when I get to Tris' house. She swings the door open and invites me inside. Then she excuses herself to go to the restroom and leaves me in the living room with her brother, Caleb. He's on the counter, so engrossed in his school work I don't think he would've noticed a nuclear bomb hitting. I clear my throat to make my presence known.

He starts speaking without looking up. "You must be the new kid on the block. Welcome. I'm Ca-" he looks up at me and stops mid-sentence, his eyes widening when he recognizes who I am.

The look on his face changes from a look of surprise to a scowl.

"I know who you are. You've dated half the girls in our school. YOU are NOT good enough for my little sister." Caleb says. "You think you can just play her like every other girl, but it's not going to work. I know what you're up to." Then he turns to Tris, who has arrived at some point during his long speech. "Tris, you can't be seeing him. He just wants to get into your pants." He says bluntly.

Almost everything he is saying is true. I can't even find a good reason to stand up for myself. He's right, I'm _not _good enough for Tris. I _am_ a player. But I'm trying to change. I don't just want to get into Tris' pants. She means so much _more _than that. But I can't say that, he'll never believe me. He's just going to think I'm making up some excuse to get Tris to like me.

I look at Tris to see if she how she's reacting to all this. She looks furious. Maybe she's going to stand up for me. Maybe she's going to tell Caleb that she likes me, and that she'll do whatever she wants.

"Do you seriously think I don't know that!?" She yells furiously at Caleb. "I know he's a player, and a cheater. I'm just being _nice_. I'm showing him around the neighborhood because he's _new_. It doesn't mean we're going to start dating. It doesn't even mean I _like_ him!"

The words ring around in my head. She doesn't even _like _me. She was just being _nice. _How could I ever be so stupid? Why on earth would Tris ever like me? She probably only offered to show me around today to get me off her hands, or to let me down easy. For whatever reason, I know she didn't do it _willingly._

_Well this sucks. _

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't know you felt that way. I didn't mean to be a burden." I say quietly. The last thing I want to do is leave a bad image, or be rude. Then I'll never have a chance with her "I'll just go now, you don't have to show me around."

I grab my backpack off the sofa and leave. Well that was disappointing. I shut the door as I leave, but I can still hear Tris yelling at Caleb. Despite being in a terrible mood, I still find it in me to chuckle. _Tris is a feisty one. _ I think to myself.

Just as I'm about to walk into my house, I hear Tris running up from behind me. "Four, Four stop!"

She's causing a scene. I look up at my dad's bedroom window to see if he's watching this. Sure enough, he's right there, watching me with an angry look on his face. He's going to beat me so hard if I stay out here and keep talking with Tris. He made it very clear that I was to have no contact with any girls here, because he didn't want me ruining his reputation. Right now, I have two choices. I can either go inside and apologize to my dad, which will probably get me slapped. If not, I can stay out here and let Tris say what she wants to tell me, which will probably be a more polite version of what she just said about me, followed by her saying that we could still try to be friends (I doubt it, we weren't even really friends to begin with).

So I take the choice that's obviously better.

I let Tris talk to me.

I face Tris, but before she says anything, I speak up. "Listen Tris. I know what you've heard. You probably think I'm a player, or that I was trying to use you, but I'm not. It's true that I used to date a whole bunch of girls, but that was then and that's behind me." I'm saying it more to myself than to Tris.

"Promise?" She looks unsure.

"Promise." I say

She takes my arm, smiles and gestures for me to follow her to my car. Sparks of electricity shoot up my arm where she touched me. I never knew anyone could do that to me.

"Come on. Let's go start that tour I promised you." She says smiling.

I look up to where my dad is watching me. He now looks furious, his eyebrows are knitted together, his face is red. If I follow Tris right now, I'll make Marcus madder than I ever had before. Today could be the day Marcus crosses the line and hurts me badly. I can't let that happen, not right now. I need to excel at football this year so I can get into a college far away from my dad.

I look at Tris, the afternoon sun is shining in her hair, making her eyes sparkle. That's when I realize that maybe my dad doesn't have to know. I need to find a way to tell Tris that I'm not allowed to be around girls this summer, so I have to be a little more secretive. I decide to go with the truth, or at least as close to the truth as I can get.

"Tris, my dad doesn't want me hanging around any girls. I know we're not dating or anything, but he won't understand that. I really want to set things straight between us, but my dad can't see us."

Tris nods "Okay, how about I meet you at Starbucks in an hour?" She asks.

"Sounds like a plan" I say.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own Divergent.**

**A/N I re-did this chapter. I changed it so that the dinner is actually two days later, because I felt like all the events were getting way too crammed.**

**Tris POV**

I ran back inside the house. I'm meeting Four at Starbucks in an hour. I go inside my room to get ready. I'm brushing my hair when I hear a knock at the door. Caleb.

"Tris open up. I need to talk to you."

"Are you ready to apologize yet?" I ask him harshly.

"_Apologize?! _ Of course not. Tris, I'm worried about you. He's going to hurt you. I spoke to dad about it and he and I both agree that-"

"You spoke to dad? Are you kidding me? Caleb, it's my life! It belongs to _me."_

I walk over to the door and slam it in his face.

"If you don't want to get out of my life, then at least get out of my room!" I yell harshly through the closed door.

I wait until I hear his footsteps receding to his room and then I walk out of my room. I head downstairs to the garage.

"MOM! I'M GOING OUT!" I yell from the garage.

"Okay sweetie. Have fun. Oh, and before I forget, we have a dinner with Marcus Eaton in two days, so don't make any plans."

Ughhh, great. Dinner with Marcus Eaton, my dad's boss. Just when my day was finally getting better. My parents don't understand why I hate him so much. They think he's a very kind man. I guess, in a way, my parents are right. He's never said one mean thing about my dad's work, and he's constantly showering me in compliments. But there's something very strange about him. I remember once last year, we were out having dinner when a waiter spilled some water on his lap. It caught Marcus off guard, and he gave the waiter such a harsh look he could've wet himself. Then, all of a sudden, he slipped on a smile and laughed about it with the waiter, insisting it was 'no big deal'.

_Oh well _I think to myself _it's only one night. I'll live._

I pop on my helmet, hop onto my tiny blue Vespa, rev the engine and drive away. It's raining, but I don't even feel it. All I can think about is Four. He admitted he was a player, but he also promised he was going to change. Maybe he and I have a chance now. We even go to the same school. _Don't get too excited Tris. He's probably got another girl in mind. He just wants to be your friend._ I tell myself. I pull in to the Starbucks parking lot and park my Vespa right next to Four's car.

I spot him sitting down outside under the overhang, rubbing his hands together to keep warm. His cheeks are rosy, and he's wearing a black leather jacket that gives him an edge. Blood rushes to my cheeks at the sight of him.

He finally spots me walking towards him and his lips break into that adorable smile of his. The light catches his eyes, making them twinkle. He waits until I'm at his table until he starts talking. "I got you some hot chocolate." He says, holding out an oversized mug of hot chocolate.

All of a sudden, one of the baristas walks over to our table. According to her nametag, her name's Marcie. She's tall and brunette with a lot of makeup on and she's actually a bit attractive. "Is there anything I can help you with?" she asks Four seductively, getting way too close for comfort.

"Ahem" I clear my throat so that they know I'm still here. I don't think baristas are supposed to come to your table. At least not in Starbucks. This girl is obviously hitting on Four.

I look at Four to see his reaction. My heart sinks. He's _smiling_. I should've known everything he said was a lie. I'm about to tell him that I need to go home, when he grabs my hand, squeezing it. All my nerve cells tingle with joy where Four grabbed my hand, and judging be the look on his face, he felt it too.

However, he snaps out of it quickly. "Actually, I'm fine." He replies to Marcie. "But I don't know if my girlfriend wants anything." He looks at me. "Do you honey?" Whoa. _Whoa_. What _was _that? _Girlfriend? _I did _not _agree to that. Not _yet _anyways.

"Um, no I'm fine." I tell Marcie, but it doesn't matter, because she lost interest the second Four told her I was his girlfriend.

_Oh, now I get it._ I think to myself. _He only said I was his girlfriend so the barista would leave him alone. _

I raise my eyebrows at him.

"What?" he asks. "They always go away faster when I tell them I have a girlfriend." He says.

"So this happens often?" I ask laughing.

"Obviously. With my incredible looks, the girls have a hard time resisting this." He says, shimmying his hands over his body.

I can't help it, I burst out laughing. He laughs along with me.

"So what school do you go to?" he asks casually.

"Prior High."

"No way. I go to Prior High too." He says. He looks really excited. He looks adorable.

For the next hour we talk about school, we tell at silly jokes, laugh at weird things, and make fun of Marcie who's watching us enviously. It feels bubbly. At five o'clock I tell Four I have to get home. He looks a little sad to see me leave. I stand up and grab my phone off the table. I look at him one last time and I can't help but think that he looks adorable. He gives me that dazzling smile of his and I just can't resist. I give him a quick peck on the cheek.

Blood rushes to my cheeks. I check Four's reaction. He is surprised, but he doesn't really look happy. _Stupid, stupid Tris. Why would you do that? You're screwing everything up._

"Sorry!" I squeal. "I should go now." I say, making a dash towards the door. I hear Four call my name but I don't want to turn around. How awkward would _that_ be?

**Four POV**

For the next two days, I don't see Tris at all. I drive around a lot, getting to know my new neighborhood since Tris wasn't able to give me the tour. I also think about Tris. A lot. Tris _kissed _me. She _kissed _me. That has to mean something. She probably likes me. This is amazing. Wow. I never thought I had a chance.

The only thing I regret is the way I reacted. I just sat there looking dazed.

Tris took this the wrong way and left. She probably felt like there would be too much awkwardness between us if she stayed.

I should've grabbed her by the waist, pulled her into my lap, and kissed her.

But that's okay, I'll have plenty of time for that in the future. Now that I know she likes me I can get a little closer to her without being unsure. I have to let her know that I have feelings for her.

I'm at the movie theater, about to buy a ticket to _Frozen_ (don't judge)when I check my watch. Its six thirty. Shoot! I have a dinner to attend with Marcus at seven thirty. He is going to kill me if I don't show up on time. I hustle into my car. It's been a while since I've seen Tris. Maybe I should call her. No, that's lame. Maybe I should surprise her by climbing up her window like all the guys do in the movies. Do girls actually like that? No, Tris probably won't. I need something original to do for Tris, I can't screw this up. I look down at my hands gripping the steering wheel and I notice that my palms are sweating. Am I _nervous _about a _girl?_ This is a first for me. But then again, Tris has started many firsts for me.

I pull up into the driveway. My dad's car isn't here yet. Good. That means he won't know I got home late. I go inside and put on the outfit Marcus left for me. He left me black dress pants and a light blue polo shirt.

I wait for him in the living room. Once he gets home, we get into his car and drive off to the restaurant.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I do not own Divergent. **

**Tris POV**

I get to Le Tub (the restaurant we are meeting Marcus Eaton and his son at) on my blue Vespa and I'm immediately surprised by the décor. The restaurant isn't fancy at all. In fact, it's quite the opposite.

The theme is 'bathrooms'. Toilets every color and size are strewn across the lawn along with sinks and tubs (hence the name 'Le Tub').

There are two parts of the restaurant, one that is indoor and one that is outdoors, located right next to the water.

I find my parents and my brother waiting for me near the entrance.

A very casual looking server greets us. "Welcome to Le Tub. Do you have reservations?"

"Yes." My dad replies politely. "We're here to meet Marcus Eaton." My dad looks out of place in this restaurant, with his polished suit and tie, and his manners. This restaurant reminds me of the dauntless. It's free and expressive and crazy just like them.

The server leads us to a table on the deck right over the water. Christmas lights are strung over our table and a peculiar lamp made out of cans is on the table.

"I'm sorry but we seem to have miscalculated your reservation. All the tables for parties of six or more outside are occupied. Your group can either split in two or you can wait a little more time and be seated together inside." The waiter says.

"No, we'd hate to inconvenience you, we'll split." My mother answers. Then she turns to Caleb and I. "You two will sit separately with Marcus' son. Behave yourselves." She says, looking mostly at me. I tend to be the most out of control out of the four of us.

The table us 'kids' will be sharing is about seven tables down from my parents' table. My mom walks with us and our server over to our table and stays there until Marcus finally arrives.

He is alone. I thought he said he was coming with his son. My mom also seems to notice this, because she asks him about it.

"Marcus, where's your son?" She inquires. "Is he still coming?"

"Yes, he's just parking the car. The parking lot was full so he had to park a few blocks over near the beach. He offered to drop me off and find a parking spot." Marcus says.

"That's awfully far. He shouldn't have to walk that far all by himself. Tris will go get him on her motorcycle. There's tons of empty spots for motorcycles so Tris will have no trouble getting back." My dad offers. I hate when he volunteers me for things without asking me first.

I hold in a sigh. "Alright I'll go. Tell your son to meet me by the McDonalds next to the surf shop, I'll pick him up there."

I put on my helmet and hop onto my Vespa. I only have one helmet, so if we crash, Marcus Eaton's son is just going to have to suffer the consequences. I rev the engine and take off from the parking lot. On the way there, I think about what Marcus's son will be like. If he's anything like Marcus, then I won't feel very comfortable having him pressed against my back for five minutes. But something seems off. Marcus never even mentioned his son's name. They must not have a very good relationship. I pull up onto the McDonald's in my Vespa and look for Marcus' son. Marcus probably called him to say I'd be picking him up, so he'll come to me. In the meantime, while I'm waiting I drive a bit past the parking lot and right onto where the beach meets the parking lot. I notice someone familiar out of the corner of my eye.

_No_. I think to myself. _This can't be true._

I turn around and realize that, as I feared, Four is sitting on the sand, scooping it up in between his fingers and then watching it get scattered by the wind. He looks handsomer than ever, wearing black dress pants, and a light blue polo shirt with the first four buttons undone because of the heat.

He's also the only one here, which means that I have to talk to him until Marcus's son gets here. That would be so awkward, especially after the kiss.

The little voice in the back of my mind is telling me to flee_. You don't have to talk to him. You can just turn away and pretend you haven't seen him yet. _

But just before I can turn away, he spots me. His dark blue eyes widen and he breaks into a goofy grin. I immediately forget all thoughts of ditching him.

He pushes himself off the ground as I approach him. "Tris! What are you doing here?"

"I was at a dinner with my family and my dad's boss, and my dad made me come pick up his boss's stupid son. Of course, he's not here so I guess I have to wait for him." I say rolling my eyes. "What about you?" I ask him.

He looks puzzled for a moment, and then realization creeps across his face, followed by embarrassment. He lowers his head. "Tris, I'm Marcus Eaton's son."

**Four's POV**

Tris knows my dad. She knows who he is, and she knows I'm his son. I'm sure Marcus never does anything mean to other people, but Tris isn't stupid. She must know that there's something very wrong about Marcus. And she probably thinks that I'm just like him. I might have had a chance with her before, but now that she knows who my dad is, there's no way that she'll still like me.

I've never hated my dad more in my whole life. Not even after all the whippings or the beatings, because those were all physical, they healed. It's not _only _because of Tris, though. Sure, Tris plays a big part in why I'm so upset, but she's also a reminder of all the things I can't have because of my dad. I can't have close friends because of my dad. I can't be shirtless because of my dad. I can't live a steady life because of my dad. I can't sleep at night because of my dad. I don't have a mother because of my dad.

Tris puts a hand on my shoulder. "Stop being so dramatic. I know there's something wrong about your dad, but I don't think you're anything like him"

I look her in the eye. This is why I like her. I'm here, acting like a child, and instead of comforting in a soothing voice and giving me fake words of encouragement, she's telling me to man up. She's giving me a wakeup call. This is the real world, and I need to get used to it.

She sits down against the wall. "So, what's it like having Marcus as a dad?" She asks quietly, but firmly.

_It's great. _I think to myself. _If you like being someone's personal punching bag._ I can't tell her that, though. I don't want to drag her into my problems, so I just stick with the safe story.

"It's a lot of pressure. He always expects so much. Perfect grades, high rankings in all the sports I play, tons of community service. Plus, my mom died, so really I've got no one." There we go. That's pretty close to the truth.

She looks down. She looks like she wants to ask me something, but doesn't think she should.

"Is that why…" She bites her thumbnail. "Is that why you sleep with all those girls? Because you need an outlet for your frustration?" She asks. She looks embarrassed. The question caught me off guard. I'm not sure what to reply, so I just go with the truth.

"Well, erm, actually, I've only done 'it' once." Now it's my turn to be embarrassed.

Tris laughs. "Yeah right. Four the player has only had sex once? How come I don't believe it?" Her tone is teasing, but something tells me that she wants to believe me, but she can't.

"It's true. I'll admit I dated a whole bunch of girls, and sometimes I wasn't very nice, but I only slept with one. The problem is that they wanted to get popular by telling everyone that the varsity quarterback slept with them, and I didn't care because I didn't think it mattered."

I look into her eyes. "Only now do I realize I made a huge mistake." We both stare at each other intensely. I feel like I'm in a trance, and I just can't pull away from Tris. She looks beautiful. The street lights are making her eyes twinkle and her skin glow. Her mouth is slightly parted. I lean in, and so does she.

For a moment, I forget about my dad and my mom and everything else. All I can think about is Tris. I lean in even more and our lips meet. I feel tingles shoot across my body, and I feel like I'm floating.

The kiss lasted less than two seconds. It was more of a brush than an actual kiss, but it's still more than I've ever felt before. I've kissed tons of girls, but none of them even compare to Tris. We stare into each other's eyes. I'm about to go in for another kiss when Tris' phone rings. It's her mom. I mutter a curse under my breath. Tris just looks flustered. She picks up the phone. I can kind of hear what her mom is saying. She's asking if she's okay and what's taking so long.

"I took a wrong turn." Tris explains. "I'm on my period so I'm not exactly on my A-game. Sorry" My cheeks redden. I'm glad Tris is covering up for me so my dad won't get mad, but still, hearing about periods makes me uncomfortable. I don't catch what her mom asks next, but I do hear Tris's reply "I'm almost there, I had to pull over to talk to you. I'll be back in like five minutes, you can go ahead and order without us. Bye." Tris says, hanging up the phone. Then she looks at me. "We have to get to the restaurant." She tells me.

We walk over to her Vespa in silence. I'm starting to think she regrets kissing me. "Tris, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to jump on you like that" I tell her.

She looks at me in surprise "No! Its fine! You didn't jump on me! I was just wondering how we were going to fit onto my Vespa." I let out a sigh of relief because Tris never said she _didn't _like the kiss. Then, what she said just before registers.

We both look at her Vespa unsurely. The seat is really tiny, and you're supposed to sit on it like a chair, not straddle it. There's no way we can both ride on it.

She presses her palms to her face. "Why on Earth didn't I think of this before?" She asks herself. She looks really guilty. I feel bad.

An idea pops into my mind. I'm not sure Tris will agree, so I debate telling her. "Wait, I have an idea, but you're probably not going to like it." I say after a long silence.

"What?" She asks looking up.

I shift uncomfortably. "Well, I could drive and you could sit on my lap?" Great, now I sound like I'm desperate. My cheeks redden. _Stop doing that you stupid cheeks. _

"O-okay" she stutters. This whole situation is an awkward mess. I climb on the seat and motion for her to sit on my lap. She hesitates, and then plops down onto me. She's shorter and skinnier than me, so I hardly feel her weight.

I insert the key and start the engine. I drive slowly because I don't want Tris to fall off.

Her body pressed against mine makes my heart race. I wonder if she can feel it through her shirt.

"Why is your heart racing?" she asks me, practically reading my mind.

I can't tell her it's because I really like her, or because she makes me feel like no one else ever has before. She'll think I'm getting overly attached. Plus, we've only known each other for about a week, and we're not even dating. I can't be sure that she likes me. I struggle to make up an excuse.

"It's because of the speed" I tell her. I look around me. We're going at about thirty miles per hour. _Great excuse, Tobias. Keep it up and you'll get an award! _I think sarcastically to myself.

"Four, you should join the Candor, because you're a terrible liar"

"Fine, it's because I like you" I say it plainly, boldly, like it's no big deal. _I did it. I told Tris I like her. Now I just have to wait for her to say it back._

**A/N So? What did you think? Is it too early for Fourtris? They've only known each other for about a week, so I think I'm going to add some flirting but not a full on official relationship. Or shpuld I make fourtris happen in the next chapter? Also I kind of quoted divergent but I didn't make it exactly the same because I wanted to be original. BTW review. Always review. Also I'm super exited because Into the Still Blue came out. I have it but I haven't had time to read it. **


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I do not own divergent.**

**Tris POV**

I'm riding on my Vespa with Four thinking about what happened earlier. I can't believe it. Four _kissed _me. At first I didn't think it meant anything. He probably just got caught in the heat of the moment. After all, he does have a reputation, he probably just wanted some fun. But then, when we were riding on my motorcycle, I could feel his heart beating rapidly through his chest. _Was I causing that? _

I asked him why his heart was beating so much, and he told me he likes me.

I'm not sure if I believe him. He's told me a lot of things today that I can't believe. Does he seriously expect me to believe he's only had sex once? I've heard at least five girls in the hallways bragging about doing the deed with him. Well, maybe they were just lying to get more popular like Four said. Still, he's not convincing me. I like him too, I really do, but I want to make sure he isn't just playing me. I need to get to know him a little better.

We ride all the way back to the restaurant in silence. When we get there, we sit with my brother at our table. Plain cheeseburgers with fries wait for each of us. I slide in next to my brother and Four slides in across from us.

We start eating.

"So, Caleb, do you play any sports?" Four asks Caleb. He obviously doesn't care and is just trying to be polite.

"No, but I am top of my class in erudite." Caleb responds snottily, but Four has already moved on to me.

"What about you Tris? Do you play any sports?" Four asks. This time he sounds interested.

"Well, I play volleyball." I reply casually.

"That sound fun." He says. "On the beach or indoor?"

"Both. I actually have a beach tournament this week. Christina's my beach partner."

"Cool, when is it? Maybe I can go cheer you on?" He sounds hesitant to ask me, almost shy. He's being adorable. I have to remind myself that I'm just going to be his friend. But friends can support each other, right? There's nothing specifically romantic about him coming to my game.

"It's in three days, on Saturday. It's at Delray Beach. I'm carpooling with Christina and her boyfriend Will. She could probably take you with us." I tell him.

A smile light up his face. "That's great. I'll be there." I stare into his deep dark blue eyes until Caleb clears his throat awkwardly. Four and I instantly snap out of our trance.

"I'm going to the bathroom." Caleb says, trying to get himself out of this uncomfortable situation. "Just… don't do anything weird while I'm gone."

**Four's POV**

Once Caleb leaves, the tension in the air between Tris and I is so thick you could cut it with a knife. She hasn't acknowledged what I said earlier on the Vespa. She's acting like it didn't happen. She also seems very distracted. She's probably thinking about some way to let me down easy. She probably feels _bad _for me because she's so hopelessly out of my league. I mean how did I ever think she could like me? She probably liked me at first because I was attractive but then realized that I was more trouble than what I was worth. I have to prove her wrong. I have to prove that I'm not a player. That I genuinely like her. That everything I said before was true.

Tris speaks up. "Four, about what you said earlier, I like you" my heart hammers in my chest. There's no way she just said that. I feel so excited. "Well, at least I think I do." My chest deflates. "The problem is that I just don't know what to believe about you. You act so nice and sweet and funny around me, but everyone says you're a jerk and a player, and I'm not sure which side is the real you. I just need to get to know you better. Besides, we've only known each other for a week." She gives me an apologetic look, and I can see in her eyes that she does actually like me, and it's hard for her to restrain herself.

She has a point though. Clearly she's thought this through. We've only known each other for a week, even though it feels like it's been several years. She doesn't know what I'm really like, so getting into a relationship with me is a huge gamble. I need to prove to her that I won't treat her badly like I did with all the other girls. The only way I can do that is by acting totally friendly around her. I won't make any moves on her, because that's what I do with other girls, and she's special. I'm going to wait until she's ready for me. She might never be ready for me, but I guess I'd rather only be friends with her than not be with her.

"So, you're coming to my game?" she asks.

"Wouldn't miss it for the world." I say supportively. It's hard not to get lost in her eyes.

_  
That night, when I get back home, Marcus beats me.

He attacks me by surprise while I'm sleeping. I wake up at the fourth or fifth blow. My eyes fly open. Well really, only my right eye because my left eye is already swollen shut. I scream and moan in pain.

"Stop! Please Marcus stop! People are going to see this! Please stop!" I kick myself internally for acting like such a coward. _Just stand up to him_. But I can't stand up to him. I'm too scared.

"How dare you fool around with that girl, with Andrew Prior's daughter." _He's talking about Tris_. My heart flutters when I think of her. "I told you not to date anyone, not to ruin my reputation, and you go right for my best employee's daughter. What will he think of me when you dump her? _God dammit _Tobias I did _not _raise you to behave like this." I roll up into a ball and continue to bawl my eyes out like a baby while he delivers painful blows to my back and stomach. He is absolutely _savage. _

I don't know exactly when he stops kicking me because I pass out after a particularly tough blow to the head. I can only hope Tris didn't hear my screams of terror from her house.

I wake up the next morning and the first thing I do is reach my hand over to the mini fridge right by my bed and grab an ice pack to apply to my eye. Usually for about two to three hours after beatings, I can't even move, so I decided to install a little mini fridge with ice packs and Advil in it to help me recover faster. I grab my phone from my nightstand and text Tris. If anyone can make me feel better right now, it's her.

_Me: Hey, what's up?_

_Tris: Oh you know, the sky._

I laugh out loud at Tris's cleverness.

_Me: No, seriously, are you doing anything?_

_Tris: No, just laying around._

I want to invite Tris over, but first I need to make sure Marcus isn't home. "Marcus!" I yell really loud. He doesn't respond. When I look outside, his car is gone.

_Me: Can you come over? We have a key under the matt. I'm up in my room, it's the first door to the left._

_Tris: I'm not sure I should…_

Oh god. She thinks I'm trying to lure her seductively. Oh god.

_Me: Please Tris, I wouldn't ask you to come if it weren't necessary._

_Tris: Okay, I'll be there in five minutes._

**Tris POV**

I left the house in my sweatpants and my tank top. Four made it sound like whatever he needed was really urgent, so I wasted no time. I dashed across the street to Four's house, got the key from under his matt, and opened the door. I stepped cautiously into his living room.

"Four?" I call.

"Over here." He croaks from upstairs.

I follow his voice upstairs and right to the door of his room. I swear, if he's lying in there, posing seductively as a joke, I will punch him. Or kiss him. You never know what these teenage hormones will do.

What I see when I open the door takes my breath away. Four is lying on his bed, only in his boxers. Sure, he's really attractive, but that's not what made me so surprised. It's the bruises all over his sides and stomach, his black eye, and his bloody lip that _really_ take my breath away.

At first I'm so shocked by what I see that I can't react. I just stand there in the hallway. Once I do react, I rush over to Four's bedside, and I clutch his hand. I look into his eyes, and I can feel the hate seeping into them. Hate at whoever did this to him.

"Four, what happened?"

"Oh, this?" he asks looking at his broken body like he just noticed it and it's no big deal. Of course, leave it to him to try to make everything less sad and painful. He looks like he just got mauled by a freaking bear and he's still stronger and braver than me.

"Four, this isn't funny. We need to tell the police. Whoever did this can't get away with this." I tell him sternly.

"It's really no big deal. I was jogging last night and I got attacked by a group of seven or eight. They tried to mug me. I fought them off, and then one of them attacked me from behind." He's lying. I know it, but I'm not sure if I should ask him about it. I decide to change the conversation and try to make a lighter mood.

"So, if you're not hurt like you said, then why did you call me?" I ask crossing my arms and cocking my hip, trying to be a little playful. It sounds like I'm flirting with him.

He smiles at me genuinely. _Oh my god that smile. _It gets me every time. I kneel besides his bed to get a little comfortable. "I can't _believe _you lost a fight _one_ against_ seven. _You sure are getting sloppy. Have you even been working out lately?" I ask sarcastically. I lean in to pinch his arm, pretending that it's all flubberry, but the truth is, his muscles are rock hard. He told me once that he doesn't even go to the gym, he just plays a lot of football and basketball to stay in shape.

I realize I've been staring at him, and when I look up, there's a hint of a blush on his cheeks. _I'm causing that. I make him nervous. _I lean in a little, inching my face closer to his until there's only six inches between us. There's a little voice in my head telling me I shouldn't do this, I shouldn't be sending Four all these mixed signals. But there's a louder voice in my head telling me to go ahead and kiss him, because that's what I want.

I inch my face even closer to his so that we're both breathing the same air. I'm not sure when, but at some point, I sat on the bed so I was right next to him. I wasn't trying to be suggestive, it just happened. He's like a magnet, pulling me in. I lean in a little more and so does he. He wraps his arms around my waist. I place my arms around his neck. Our lips are centimeters away. If we puckered our lips, they would touch.

I press my forehead to his, our noses touching. We're both breathing heavily. I rest my hand on his side and he yelps softly, obviously caught off guard by the sudden pain.

That's when I snap back to my senses. _What are you doing Tris? You need to think. This can't be happening so soon._

I stand up abruptly. "I should go. I'm really sorry I keep sending you mixed signals. I promise I'll make up my mind soon."

I leave the room to a very aroused and disappointed Four.

I return to my house and lie on my bed.

What just happened? Did we just have a real moment, or is that how he lures all the girls? I'm pretty sure it was a real moment. He didn't sound suggestive at all the whole time I was there. In fact, I think I was the one who initiated the almost-kiss. No, this definitely wasn't planned. I think he really is trying to change.

**A/N SO what did you guys think? Please review and leave suggestions. Also, you can follow me on instagram divergent4444. REMEMBER TO REVIEW! If you guys don't like where the story is going, we can work on it! The next chapter hasn't been written yet so whatever opinions or ideas you have may be used! Thanks! **


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I do not own Divergent.**

**Tris POV**

Later on that day at about two o'clock, Christina calls.

"Oh my gosh Tris where have you been? I haven't heard from you for like ten days! What's up?" She asks enthusiastically. I haven't spoken to her since last time when she told me to ignore Four.

"Oh you know, the usual. So are we still on for the tournament on Saturday?" I ask her.

"Actually, that's exactly what I was calling to ask you about. If we're still going to play, then we need to practice. What are you doing right now?"

"Nothing." I tell her.

"Great! So meet me at our usual spot on the courts in thirty minutes!" I hear some laughing and squealing in the background.

"Christina, where are you?"

"I'm hanging out with Will and his football buddies. There's like four of them here, including Uriah and Zeke. Say hi guys!" she orders them. I hear a chorus of monotonous hello's. Christina can be very annoying sometimes.

"They're tagging along to help us practice. Is that okay with you?"

"Sure." I respond. Uriah is one of the funniest people I know, and we're really good friends, so I don't mind.

I grab my gym bag, put on some spandex and a tank top, fill up a water bottle and get going.

I get to the beach to see that Christina is there with all the guys. I can't quite make out who's there, so I squint a little to see better. Uriah's face is the first one that I recognize.

The second I spot him, I throw my arms in the air and launch myself straight at him, hollering like a madman. I tackle him to the ground and we both collapse, laughing.

"I HAVENT SEEN YOU IN LIKE FIFTY BILLION YEARS AGHHHHH" He says as he tickles me.

I laugh and roll around on the ground. When he finally stops, I wipe some tears out of my eyes from laughing so much and push myself off the ground. I'm ready to greet Zeke or Will, but instead I'm met by a pair of surprisingly familiar dark, deep blue eyes. I realize it's Four. For a second, I see something strange in his eyes. Is it…_jealousy? _But as soon as it came, it was gone, making me wonder if I had just imagined it.

"Hey Four, what are you doing here?" I ask him. I'm so glad I didn't wear an actual bikini to practice today. That would've been embarrassing.

"I was hanging out with Zeke, Will, Christina, and Uriah and then Christina invited me to come to practice with her."

"That's great." I tell him. Then I turn to Christina. "Can I talk to you alone?" Everyone looks at me weird when I say that, because usually I'm an open person. "I want to talk about our strategy." That's the first excuse that comes to mind.

"Sure." Christina says.

We walk over to the next court over where we'll be out of earshot.

"Why did you invite Four over? I thought you told me to stay away from him?" I ask, crossing my arms.

"I did at first, but then I talked to Will, and he said Four's actually really awesome once he warms up to you. He also told me that he talked to Four, and that Four said he liked you, but, like, _for real._ So I figured that I'd try to hook you up with him." Normally I would be mad about something like this, but I'm too distracted to care that Christina hid this from me. Four told Will that he liked me, for real. That proves he's not just trying to use me. That was one of my biggest worries about liking him. What would happen if he just dumped me all of a sudden?

So what do I do now? I know I like him, at least I think I do. I need to ask Christina for advice.

"Hey Christina? I need you to give me boy advice."

She squeals and claps her arms happily. "Finally, some action in Tris land! So who is it? What do you need to know?" I take a deep breath and tell her about everything that's happened between me and Four these past days.

Christina thinks for a while and finally tells me I should just go with the flow and tell him I like him whenever the time seems right. Whatever that means. Obviously, if there were a right time for telling Four I like him, then I wouldn't be worrying about it is much as I am now.

Anyways, we head back to the courts and tell the guys that we are ready. That's when the fun begins. Zeke and Four are seniors now, and Uriah and Will are juniors just like us, so they have all played at least one game of volleyball on the beach with their friends before. Beach volleyball is basically_ the _sport to play in the summer at Roth Prep, so most people know how to play. Plus, they play football which gives them really strong arms so they can serve really well.

We let them play all together on one team and then Christina and I play on another.

Christina starts serving. After she gets six points for our team, she serves into the net and then it's Four's turn to serve. I watch him intently while he serves. I pretend it's because I'm trying predict where the ball is going to go, but really, I'm just fascinated by the way his shirt lifts off his stomach, showing a tiny sliver of skin everytime he raises his arms to hit the ball. If we weren't in the middle of a game right now I'd probably throw myself right into his arms.

That's when I realize that right now, the only thing that's stopping me from actually telling Four I like him is the fact that we're surrounded by a whole bunch of other people. I'm sure I like him now, so I make up my mind and decide to tell him later.

We finish the game twenty-one to five. Christina and I won. I walk with Christina and the others back to the parking lot. Uriah and Zeke are riding with Christina, but Four is riding in his own car. Perfect.

"Four, can you hang back a second? I want to talk to you." He stops and looks back at me, smiling.

"Sure" He walks over to where I am. He looks nervous. "What's up?"

"Nothing, I just didn't want to leave." I say smirking at him.

He smiles at me, his dark eyes crinkling at the corners.

"Well, then" he pauses and leans in a little closer to me. "I guess" he leans in more. "That means" he pauses and leans in more "That you're" he's so close and he's looking at me so deeply that I think he's going to kiss me. Then at the last minute he springs away from me and yells "IT"

"You're it!" He screams, laughing evilly and running away. "Catch me if you can!" he teases.

I try to catch up to him, but I can't, he's going way too fast and I've already lost him. He must be hiding somewhere dark. I try to listen for him, but it's no use, my head is spinning. I can't stop thinking about what happened before. Why didn't he kiss me? Was he just trying to mess with me? Does he even like me anymore?

There's still a tiny flicker of hope in me. Maybe he just didn't think I wanted him to kiss him. He probably thinks I'm still indecisive.

The first thing I'll do once I find him is kiss him. I'll make it official.

I look for him behind all the cars, behind the bathrooms, and still, no sign of Four.

I'm checking under the lifeguard stand when I hear a female squeal in the lifeguard stand above me, followed by a male voice that sounds a lot like Four's.

I climb up the stairs to check it out and when I open the door I can't believe what I see.

Four is leaning against the wall, in a full make out session with a dark haired girl that has three silver rings through her right eyebrow. _Lauren. _Out of all the girls Four could choose, he chooses my worst enemy. Lauren and I are always competing against each other for everything. Top athlete, best grades, you name it, she'll steal it from me. I can't believe Four would go for her. She's mean and nasty and she's not even funny. I didn't even think she was Four's type. But obviously, the scene I just witnessed proves me wrong.

I look at Four curious about what his expression will be like now that I know about him and Lauren. His eyes are open, and when he sees me they widen in shock. He springs away from her. As if that's going to do any good. He can't keep this little scheme of his up any longer. The truth is out: he's a total player that goes for anything that walks.

I storm out of the lifeguard shack and down the steps, but in my anger, I miss a step and fall. Four is right behind me and he catches me. He holds me tight in his arms and looks me right in the eye. "Tris, you've got to believe me, she threw herself at me, I like _you." _He says.

I'm about to believe him when Lauren comes up to us. "I had a better time last week." She tells Four, walking away smoothly. I'm so angry I don't even have the nerve to hear what Four says.

"Tris, I-"

"No." I cut him off. "It's okay, really. I understand." His face softens a little, and he wraps his arms around my shoulders in an embrace, which I shrug my way out of.

"I'm not your girlfriend, we weren't even dating. There's no reason why you can kiss or date other girls. No matter how mean and gross they are."

I walk over to my Vespa ignoring Four as he tries to get me to forgive him. I hop on quickly and jam the key into the ignition.

As I drive away I see Four in the rear view mirror, his posture sagged, looking after me.

**A/N Should the next chapter be everything that just happened starting with them playing tag, or should I pick up where this chapter left off? I won't start the next chapter until I've gotten at least five reviews, so hurry up and review!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I do not own Divergent **

**A/N Who else pictures Four as Nat Wolff? **

**Four POV**

I stand on the sidewalk and watch Tris drive away. I can't imagine how upset and disappointed she must be. Just when she was starting to see that I'm not a total player, she finds me kissing another girl in a lifeguard stand. This sucks. I didn't even want to kiss Lauren. The whole thing caught me by surprise.

_*Flashback*_

_"You're it!" I scream, running away from Tris quickly. Wow that was close. I almost kissed her. _

_I was so lost in my thoughts I didn't even notice that I ran out of the parking lot. I look behind me and I see Tris looking for me behind all the cars. I dash under the lifeguard stand to hide from her. When she finds me, I'll jump out at her, pick her up, and spin her around. I mean if Uriah can do that as a friend then so can I, right? _

_Just when I'm about to make some noise or something so Tris finds me, I hear the lifeguard call me up from her stand. "Hey you! You can't be here." She says. _

_"Sorry. I'll leave now." I reply._

_"No, come up here, I might need to fine you."_

_That's weird, I don't remember it being illegal to stand under a lifeguard stand, but I decide to obey the lifeguard's orders so she doesn't get any madder at me. _

_When I get upstairs, I realize that I know the lifeguard. That's Lauren, the only girl I ever slept with._

_"Hey Four, long time no see." She says seductively, leaning over to give me a clear view of her boobs. Ew gross. I forgot how clingy and desperate these girls could be. _

_I look out of the window in the little lifeguard stand. Tris is already getting close. I can't let her find me here with Lauren. She'll jump to conclusions, everyone does. I'm not exactly known to be a trustworthy person._

_"I have to go. I really can't do this. Not now, not ever."_

_"Four, don't you want to have a little fun?" _

_"No." I say firmly. _

_She gives me a fake pouty face and when I don't react, pretends to fall on me, pressing me against the wall. She makes a squealing noise, expecting me to believe she actually 'fell' on me. _

_"I need you to get off of me, I'm not interested. There's someone else I like. " I say sternly._

_Lauren looks out the window and sees something that must've caught her attention, because her eyes widen._

_She crashes her lips against mine. I didn't even get a chance to close my eyes, but for a second, I get lost in the kiss. I guess old habits die hard. _

_At that same second, Tris walks in._

_I spring away from Lauren. I look at Tris apologetically, but I can't come up with anything to say. Her expression catches me off guard. She doesn't even look surprised. She looks a little sad, but like she was expecting this. I feel like I've let her down so badly._

_She storms out of the lifeguard stand, dashing down the steps. I chase after her ignoring Lauren's annoying smirk. She did this on purpose. _

_Tris misses one of the steps, and just before she falls, I catch her. I look her in the eye and say "Tris, you've got to believe me, she threw herself at me, I like you." She looks like she's about to believe me, when Lauren comes walking smoothly out of the lifeguard stand._

_"I had a better time last week" she says, suggestively wiping her lips. I can't believe this! I haven't seen her in over a year! She's trying to ruin everything! _

_"Tris, I-" I start to explain, but she cuts me off._

_"No. It's okay, really. I understand." I'm so relieved. I can feel my face soften, and I wrap my arms around her shoulders in an embrace which she shrugs her way out of._

_"I'm not your girlfriend, we weren't even dating. There's no reason why you can't kiss or date other girls. No matter how mean and gross they are." She continues. My heart deflates, my smile disappears._

_I try to explain what happened but Tris just keeps walking until she gets to her Vespa and drives off._

_*End of Flashback*_

I don't even bother getting back in my car, I just sit on the pavement. How can I explain what just happened to Tris? How will I get her to believe me?

One thing's for sure: if I want to talk to her, I shouldn't do it now. If there's anything I learned from living with Marcus in my earlier years it's that people need time to cool down. Right now, Tris is probably furious and unable to think straight. I need to wait until she's thinking rationally.

I drive home, shower, and get in bed even though it's only four o'clock. The next day, I mostly hang out with Uriah, Zeke and Will. We meet up at Uriah's house to play some basketball in his huge backyard, and then we hang out and watch TV.

"Hey Four, something wrong man?" Will asks me.

"Why? What did you hear?"

"No details. Christina just told me that Tris slept over her house last night because she was pissed at you." Will says.

I put my head in my hands and explain everything that happens. Will and Zeke both know I like Tris because I told them. I didn't want to tell Uriah because I suspect he likes Tris.

When I'm done telling my story, everyone's quiet. Finally, Uriah speaks up.

"Well you're in deep shit." He says.

I roll my eyes at him.

"You don't say." I point out sarcastically.

"You know, I had a really similar fight with Christina the first month we were dating." Will says.

"How'd you fix things?" I ask him eagerly.

"I just had to prove that I wasn't interested in anyone else. Eventually, she forgave me."

So that's what I'm going to have to do. If I really think Tris is worth it, then I'll never even _look_ at another girl again. Is Tris really worth it?

I shake the thought from my head. Of course she is. There's nothing all the other girls have that Tris doesn't.

When I get home at around five o'clock, I've already come up with a plan.

I sneak out of my room cautiously so that my father doesn't hear me. I go over to Tris's house and gather about 20 little pebbles in my hand. I check to see if Tris is in her room. I know it's on the right on the second floor because sometimes I see her through my window. The lights are on, so that means she must be in her room

I carefully launch the pebbles at her window. The first one misses her window by a couple feet off to the left, so I adjust my aim until the pebbles are all hitting her window. I keep throwing them until I see someone approach the window.

The blinds fly open, but Tris isn't the one that opened them.

A shirtless guy in very good physical shape who is considerably attractive stands in front of the window. What?

He fumbles with the lock and opens the window.

"Can I help you?" he asks clearly annoyed.

This has to be a mistake. This can't be Tris's room. What would a shirtless guy be doing in her room other than…

No. It can't be true. _Don't worry, it's all a mistake. _I assure myself

"Is this Tris's room?" I ask the guy.

"Yeah." He responds, looking uncomfortable. "But we are going to need you to leave. We were, um, doing something." He says.

Oh my god. It's true! I never thought Tris was the kind of girl that just slept around, but I guess it's true. What else could 'doing something' mean?

And here I thought that I was the only one with a terrible reputation, the only one who's done terrible things. Clearly, Tris is no better person than me. She's just better at hiding what she does.

**A/N Bet you didn't see that coming, huh? Don't worry, Fourtris will happen soon! They just have to get over some things and stuff. Review!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I do not own Divergent.**

**Tris POV**

After fighting with Four, I don't feel like going home and talking to my idiot-headed brother, so I drive over to Christina's house.

I knock on her door and when she opens it, she seems pretty surprised to see me nearly at the verge of tears, pacing angrily at her doorstep.

"Tris? What happened?" She asks me.

"Let's go inside and I'll tell you." I reply.

I barge into Christina's house and plop down on her couch. Christina follows suit.

"Where are your parents? I should say hi before I just barge into your house." I say. Even at times of crisis, my manners somehow manage to make an appearance.

"They're out of town with my sister." Christina says, waving her hands dismissively. "Just tell me what happened." She says worriedly.

I tell her everything that happened starting from the game of tag. She looks at me sympathetically.

"Aww poor Tris. Come here." She says opening her arms.

Normally, I'm not really comfortable with much physical contact with anyone, but today, I hug it out with Christina because she's my best friend and for some reason, hugging her reminds me that I'm starting to become just like Christina, who (even though I love her to death) can be _extremely_ girly and dramatic. I'm nearly on the verge of tears because some boy I've known for two weeks who wasn't even dating me yet kissed some other girl. I need to be rational. Maybe he didn't even want to kiss her. Maybe she just threw herself on him like he said. It's very probable, especially considering that it was Lauren, who would do anything to hurt me or ruin me.

There's only one way to find out whether or not Four was telling the truth.

"Christina, can you ask Will to ask Four what really happened?" I ask her.

"Sure thing. They're all meeting up tomorrow at Uriah's house so I'll just ask Will to casually mention it ant tell us what Four says."

I nod my head.

"In the meantime, you can sleep over here. You left some clothes here from last time so you can just wear that."

So I end up sleeping over at Christina's house. We stay up late watching _Titanic, _and playing monopoly. We drink so much coffee that I can feel my hands twitching. At about 5 A.M we crash. We turn into droopy, baggy eyed goblins, but we still keep talking and watching movies until our eyelids close by themselves.

At around six P.M, we are both abruptly awaken by a call from Will.

Christina picks up the phone.

"Hey Wi-aghhhhhhhhhhh" She says, her sentence being interrupted by a yawn. She puts her hand to her mouth, shakes her head to wake herself up, and clears her throat. "Sorry, I was yawning." She tells Will through the phone. "So did you find anything out about Four? Yeah? Wait let me put you on speaker." She taps the screen to put the phone on speaker.

"Hi Will." I say, my voice sounding groggier than I expected.

"Long night?" he asks, making fun of me.

"Just say what you're going to say." I order, irritation seeping into my voice.

"Alright, alright." Will says, pretending like he's backing down. I can practically hear his smirk through the phone.

"Everything Four said is true. The girl really did throw herself at him. He sounded really stressed about whether or not you believed him, so I think what he's saying is genuine." Will says. In the background, I can hear his mom calling him to dinner, which makes my stomach rumble, because it's already six o'clock and I haven't eaten since yesterday.

"I have to go." Will says and then hangs up the phone.

Christina drops me off at my house at around seven P.M. I leave my Vespa at her house since I don't feel like driving.

"Remember to stay hydrated, eat a good breakfast, and get lots of rest. We've got an important tournament tomorrow." Christina tells me before I get out of the car.

"Yes coach." I reply sarcastically. She rolls her eyes but continues anyways.

"I'll be here to pick you and Four up at eight. Tell Four. I don't want to be late because of him" She orders sternly.

She gives me one final wave and speeds off.

I trudge up to my room tiredly. When I open my door I can't help but burst out laughing.

My brother is lying on the ground with about five of his future Erudite friends (he's a year older than me so he already chose his faction), shirtless. On their backs are different math questions. Some are equations, others are formulas. I laugh out loud.

"_What _are you guys _doing?_" I somehow manage to choke out in between giggles. Oh gosh this is gold. I snap a few pictures with my phone.

Somehow, Caleb manages to keep a straight face in this terrible situation. He stands up. Across his stomach, _x=1/5 _ is written in black sharpie. I snap another picture.

"Give me that." He says, taking away my phone so that I can't take any more pictures. Darn.

"We are in the middle of a very intense game of human flashcard. If you do not wish to participate, leave." He says, pointing at the door.

"Is this like an Erudite version of dirty truth or dare?" I can hardly contain my laughter.

"No, of course not, that would be immature." _Immature?! _He's rolling on the ground with his friends, shirtless, solving quadratic equations off of their backs. Does it really ever get _more_ immature?

"Alright fine. Can you guys just leave so I can go to sleep?" I ask them.

"But we need the floor space!" Caleb argues.

"Caleb, NOW!"

"Alright fine. Come on guys lets go." He tells is friends. I watch his friends walk out the door and look up to Four's window to see if he's watching. We could laugh about this so much tomorrow.

Sadly Four isn't watching.

On the way out, one of Caleb's hotter nerd friends (I think his name is Fernando) stops to tell me something.

"Beatrice, I'm not really sure if it matters, but earlier on while we were playing, some guy was throwing pebbles at your window like a lunatic. I think he might've been a burglar or something, so I told him there were people in your room so he wouldn't try to climb up into your room or anything. He wouldn't leave so I told him to go away and then he left." He tells me while putting on his shirt.

"It's no big deal. It was probably just one of the people from the shelter I volunteer at trying to get food. It happens all the time. Thanks though."

"Okay, bye." He says.

I walk him to the front door since he's never been to our house before. Out of the corner of my eye I see some movement coming from Four's room. I turn around just in time to see Four watching me from his window. We make eye contact for about a second, and just as I'm about to wave or smile at him so he knows everything is okay between us, he closes his blinds quickly.

That was weird. Four almost looked… _angry._

I wonder why.

**Four POV**

About three hours after my encounter with the shirtless guy in Tris's room, I notice some movement outside her house. Tris is outside her house with the shirtless guy who is now fully clothed. Tris sees me looking at her from my window and smiles. I can't tell if she's being genuine, and if she's really moved on that fast, or if she's trying to be mean and rub in her new boyfriend. I close the blinds, I don't want to think about this right now.

Later I get a text from Tris telling me to be at her house at seven thirty because Christina doesn't want to waste any time. For a minute, I think about not going to her stupid tournament. I'm really upset and angry right now, and I don't think seeing Tris tomorrow is going to help. She is either going to pretend nothing happened last night, or she's going to rub it in. I'm not sure which one is worse.

I'm about to bail on her, but then I think better of it. I'd rather go to the tournament than stick around the house with Marcus all day. Plus, Will is going to be there. I'll just hang out with him. How bad can it be?

I set my alarm clock on my phone for seven o'clock and go to sleep. I put headphones in my ears so Marcus won't hear the alarm, and then I go to sleep.

The next day, I pack a sun shirt, a water bottle, and some grapes in a mini backpack. I wear black swim trunks and a navy blue shirt. I ruffle up my hair a little so it doesn't look like I'm completely unkempt and then I make my way over to Tris's house.

I knock on the door and she opens immediately, wearing that dazzling smile of hers.

"Hey." She says, swinging the door open further so I can get in. "It's seven thirty one, did you decide you were going to be fashionably late?" She asks sarcastically. I'm really not in the mood for this flirty exchange right now.

"Why don't you ask your new boyfriend?" I mumble under my breath, just low enough so that she can't hear me.

"What was that?"

"Nothing."

"Okay, well just take a seat." She says gesturing towards the sofa. "Christina will be here in about half an hour."

She heads in for the kitchen and I finally get the chance to look at what Tris is wearing. She's wearing a big black t-shirt with black spandex shorts and a big black T-shirt. She looks stunning. I force myself to look away just before she turns in my direction to face the counter.

"Do you want pancakes?"

"I'm good."

I watch her unsuccessfully try to flip the pancakes while they're still in the pan. She misses, and I flinch when the batter splatters onto her tile floors.

She puts a hand to her face, and lets out a deep sigh.

I can't help but laugh. I laugh so hard my sides hurt. Tris is laughing too. She's leaning against the counter for support. I get up, grab a paper towel from the counter, and kneel down to help her pick up this huge mess.

She squats next to me, still laughing, her hair falling in her face. I wipe my finger on some of the batter and plop it on her nose. She goes cross-eyed trying to see the batter and sticks out her tongue, trying to lick it off. I burst out laughing again. Tris collapses against me, flattening me against the batter-soaked ground. I gasp at the sudden gooey, sticky feeling all over my chest, I get up and look down at my shirt, which has a big glop of what looks like peanut butter on the center.

I narrow my eyes at her, feigning anger.

"You are going to pay for this." I say. I pick her up and tackle her to the couch so she won't get hurt. Then I tickle her and press my shirt against her so that she gets pancake batter all over herself.

She gasps and then starts giggling. I'm giggling too. Slowly, we stop laughing and just stare into each other's eyes. I forget about everything that I saw yesterday, and I really want to kiss her.

She leans in, but then hesitation crosses her face. Of course. She wouldn't want to cheat on her 'boyfriend'.

I spring away from her quickly. I forgot I was supposed to be mad at her.

"Four, listen, about what happened yesterday, I want you to know that-"

"Tris, let's not talk about this now." I say. My voice sounds more irritated than I actually am. I just want to get over Tris already.

"But Four, I-"

Luckily, I don't have to tell Tris that I saw her with her new boyfriend because we were interrupted by the sound of Christina's beeping car horn.

We get into Christina's car silently and I ride in the backseat along with Tris. Will and Christina are in the front, talking about school. I almost forgot that school starts in just over a week.

I inch my thigh closer to Tris's. She doesn't notice. I'm not sure what I should do. Should I ask her if she still likes me? Should I ask her why she's dating someone else? I don't know what to do.

**A/N By the way, for those of you who might not get it, Tris wasn't actually dating anyone. There was a shirtless guy in her room because her brother was playing human flashcard. I'm not sure if that's a real game or I dreamt of it.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I do not own Divergent.**

**BTW in case you don't speak volleyball, passing is the first contact you do with your hands together (also known as a bump), the second is the set, and the last one is a hit, or a spike, where the ball is actually supposed to go over the net.**

**Tris POV**

As soon as we get to the tournament, I take off my cake batter stained shirt so that I'm only in a bikini top and my spandex shorts. It might sound inappropriate, but some of the people here are in bikinis tinier than my pinkie.

Over the past few years, I've realized that beach volleyball has two goals:

A) To win

B) To get even tan lines

On our way to the registration table, Christina has had to snap her fingers at Will over three times to keep his attention off of the girls. I keep an eye on Four to see if he's behaving like Will, but his eyes are always either straight ahead or on me, which makes me blush.

When we get to the registration table, a tacky, tall brunette is sitting on a pull out chair with her legs crossed, chewing gum annoyingly. She's about my age. She's probably filling in for one of her parents or for someone else, because adults are supposed to take care of the sign-ups.

I get to her table before the rest of our friends. The girl at the table gives me a quick once over.

"Sorry sweetie, the twelves age division is that way." She says, pointing at a tent at the opposite side of the beach.

"Actually, I'm sixteen." I say, but it doesn't matter, because by now the rest of the group has caught up, and the brunette is already casting flirtatious glances at Four, and completely ignoring me while I try to sign up. I let out a heavy sigh and take the sign-up sheet myself, writing my name along with Christina's.

I glance at Four and a little smile tugs at the corners of my mouth when I notice that Four hasn't even looked at the brunette. He seems to be really distracted today. I wonder what's on his mind.

Half an hour later, our pools are finally announced. We walk to our court, and Christina and I begin to warm up. We play four matches and win them all by a landslide, with Four and Will cheering us on. Well, really mostly Will because as I said before, Four is really distracted today.

After we are done playing against everyone in our pool, a thirty minute break is called over the speakers. My stomach is grumbling, I need lunch. I look over at the courtside where Four was sitting just a minute ago. He's gone. Christina and Will left to take a quick dip in the water, so I guess I have to eat all by myself.

I spot a little beachfront cafeteria and go in for a sandwich. I order it to go so I can take it back to the court and eat it there. I'm walking out the door when I see a familiar face out of the corner of my eye. It's Four. He's sitting at a two person table alone, a half empty beer halfway to his mouth.

I shimmy over to his table and slide in to the seat across from him.

"Hi Four." I say casually.

He groans. Why has he been rejecting much lately? It's really hurtful. What did I do?

**Four POV**

Just _one minute _alone. Can't a sixteen year-old boy have _one minute _alone? Obviously not. I came here to this secluded cafeteria to have a quick beer (even though I hardly even drink) and Tris just shows up.

I groan inwardly. Or did I groan out loud? A hurtful look crosses Tris's face. _Yep, definitely out loud._ I affirm.

"Four, why have you been so mean to me today? It's like you're doing it on purpose." This comment catches me off guard. I'm not trying to be _mean._ I'm just trying to _distance _myself. Isn't that what's best for both of us?

I study Tris and I can't help but think that she looks stunning. Her cheeks are rosy from the exercise, and her skin is already getting tanner from the sun, making her eyes stand out. I lean in, like if I were about to share some kind of secret.

"You look good Tris." I whisper. As soon as the words come out of my mouth, I realize what I said and immediately sober up to correct my error.

"I didn't mean it like that. I know you have a boyfriend I just-"

"A _what?" _She asks in alarm.

"Yes Tris, you heard right, I know all about you and your boyfriend."

"I seriously don't know what you're talking about." She says convincingly. I would believe her if it weren't for the fact that I saw her boyfriend with my own eyes.

"Oh _come on _Tris, cut the crap. You're just making it worse by lying. I walked over to your lawn yesterday to apologize about the thing with Lauren. I threw pebbles at your window to make it romantic. Imagine my shock when a shirtless guy our age opens the window, saying, and I quote 'leave us alone we're busy'. And then after that I saw you walk the same guy over to his car."

At this point in my rant, Tris already has her head in between her hands. She must be embarrassed because she got caught. What kind of person am I, making Tris feel so bad about her mistakes? She used to like me even though I'd made tons of mistakes. I'm about to apologize when she takes her head out of her hands.

Her face is red…with laughter.

_What?_

"That's why you've been acting so weird? Because you think that was my boyfriend? Haha no. That wasn't my boyfriend. That was my brother's friend. He told me someone stopped by outside my room and started throwing rocks at my window. Was that you?" she asks.

"I was trying to apologize about the thing with Lauren earlier on. I wanted to do it in person so you'd understand. But then I saw that guy and I figured you already got over it." I admit. I'm not sure if I believe her story.

"Four, I wasn't even home when you came over, Caleb's friend thought you were a guy from the homeless shelter when he saw you."

I cross my arms.

"Then explain what _'_Caleb's friend' was doing in _your_ room _shirtless_." I ask.

"They were playing-" she bursts out into a fit of giggles. She finally manages to catch her breath. "They were playing human flashcard." She says, bursting out laughing again. This time I laugh with her. Either she's really good at making up Erudite games, or she's telling the truth, and I'm pretty sure it's the latter. Relief floods my chest.

"You should've seen them." She says wiping a tear of laughter from her eye with one hand, her back shaking from laughing so hard. "They were rolling on the ground, solving different equations off their backs." I laugh with Tris, but then suspicion creeps into my thoughts. What if she actually is making all this up?

I get all serious and look Tris in the eye.

"Tris, I trust you. It's okay if you were dating someone else, as long as you tell me."  
"No, I'm not lying! I swear!" She gets an idea and an accomplished look crosses her face. She takes out her phone.

"Here I have proof." She says, waving the screen at my face. "But thanks for trusting me."

I look at the screen. And laugh. Sure enough, there's Caleb playing human flashcard with his friends.  
I laugh a little until I notice the time. Tris only has five minutes to get to the courts, if she doesn't show up, her opponent will win by default, and this is the final match in single elimination. If the other team wins they get first place.

"Tris run! You only have five minutes! GO!" I nearly shout.

She stands up very suddenly, rattling the table. "Aw shoot. You're right." She's about to go, but then she seems to think better of it and stays. "Shouldn't we talk about what happened or something?"

She's being selfless, putting my feelings over the outcome of a very important game. I can't let her do that. I stand up, cradle her cheek and kiss her. It's a quick, sweet kiss. I can feel goose bumps forming on both our arms.

She looks a little shocked, but I lean in to her ear anyways.

"Go." I whisper softly.

She nods her head, her eyes wide, and sprints out the door, her ponytail swooshing behind her.

Was that a mistake? I don't think so, but there's no way to know. I wait at my table. Once the waiter brings the bill and I pay, I rush out to go see Tris's game.

When I get to Tris's court, over one hundred people are watching her match. She's down by three points. She's about to serve. I watch her toss the ball high, jump, and hit the ball with such force that I flinch. I watch the ball shoot to the other side of the court, where one of the girls somehow manages to pass it. Except it's not just some girl. It's… Lauren. That's it. Tris needs to win now. That girl has to learn that she can't always get what she wants.

She goes up to hit but ends up hitting the ball into the net. The score is now 19-17. The game goes to 21. Tris has to win. Lauren angrily rolls the ball back to Tris, who just smiles and takes it.

"Go Tris!" I scream at her. She smiles at me and winks. My heart warms. _Wow. _

She serves twice and aces, the score now being tied nineteen to nineteen. Come on Tris, just two more points.

She serves again, but this time, Lauren manages to pass it. It sails up and over the net, right were Tris can pass it. Christina sets it, and Tris goes up to take her approach. She hits the ball flawlessly, but while she's up in the air, I notice that Lauren is blocking way too close to the net. Right after Tris lands on the ground, Lauren crosses over to Tris's side of the court with her foot, and steps on Tris's left ankle. A deep gasp can be heard throughout the whole audience.

By now, the ball is already on the ground. The point automatically went to Tris, because what Lauren did is against the rules, but Tris is injured. She's lying on the ground, clutching her ankle. Christina makes a 'T' symbol with her hands to the referees to indicate a timeout. Then she dashes to Tris and kneels along her side. I rush over to Tris along with Will. I know I probably shouldn't be on the court, but who cares.

"Guys, stop making a big deal, I'm fine." Tris says, even though her swollen ankle indicates otherwise.

Christina and I help her up. Tris tries putting weight on her injured ankle, but the pain won't let her. She lets out an injured yelp, and my heart breaks for her.

I hate Lauren. I know she did this on purpose. If it were anyone else, I would believe this was an accident, but nothing Lauren does is accidental. Everything has a purpose.

**Tris POV**

That little bitch Lauren. I know she did this on purpose. I want to get back at her, but I can't stoop down to her level. The only way I can get revenge is by beating her.

The judges call the end of the time out and give me the ball so I can serve.

If I can just get one more good serve that Lauren and her partner can't get, then I'll win. I'll be able to say I beat Lauren even after she gave me a twisted ankle.

I raise the ball up with my left hand and throw my elbow back, so it looks like I'm about to shoot a bow and arrow. I spin the ball in my fingers, and then toss it really high. I take my approach and jump to meet the ball, making contact just on top. The ball shoots towards Lauren's side of the court, sailing over the net. For a few seconds I'm floating, suspended in the air. It feels blissful until I land. Pain shoots up my left leg like a whip. I stumble to the ground unable to regain my balance. I can't make it back onto the court, I just have to hope that Lauren doesn't get the ball.

I watch as the ball flies off to the left, going about a foot out of bounds. Lauren's partner doesn't even go after it, because it's clearly out.

Then, at the last second, a gust of wind carries the ball back onto the court so that it lands straight on the line.

We did it.

We won.

Four and Will come rushing towards Christina and I. We cheer and laugh together.

The tournament director calls Christina and I over to the winner's stand where he gives us our first place medals. Some photographers for our local newspaper are there too.

"Do I have your approval to take pictures of you ladies and possibly have them published?" The photographer asks.

"Yeah!" Christina and I cheer enthusiastically.

"Alright then, say cheese!"

"Wait!" I say just before he takes the picture. I limp over to where Four is standing smugly with his hands in his pockets and drag him over.

"Can he be in the picture too?" I ask.

"Sure."

I I take my hair out of its ponytail and make some crazy poses for the camera. The photographer takes a couple pictures of us and then packs up his camera.

"These pictures will be in the newspaper sometime next week if no other interesting sports story comes up." He informs us.

"Alright, thanks." I say waving.

Then I turn to Four. He pats me on the back and then wraps his arm around my shoulders in a friendly, playful way, walking me out to one of the opened umbrellas near the water. We both pretend he only has his arm around me to comfort me, but he knows as much as I do that I need help walking on this swollen ankle.

He sits me down on a beach chair and pushes my hair out of my eyes. To me, it's as intimate as a kiss or a hug.

"You played really well, Tris." He says. We both seem to be at a loss for words.

I get a sudden rush of adrenaline, and decide to do something Dauntless. I lean in and kiss four, but this time, I don't shy away. His lips are warm and soft. I wrap my arms around his neck and he places his arms around my back. I nibble on his lip a little and he lets out a deep moan. The kiss gets deeper and more passionate until we're both laying down on the sand, with me on top of him. We break apart for air, and I can see a mischievous glint in Four eyes that only makes me want him more.

**Four POV**

The kiss was perfect. We didn't break apart, it wasn't timid, or awkward. It was Dauntless. For once, we're on the same page.

"Tris, I'm just going to go ahead and say what we're both thinking. Let's go on a date." That's not the most romantic thing I could've said, but I'm too caught up in the moment to care.

Blood rushes to Tris's cheeks and she nods numbly.

"Sounds like a plan."


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: I do not own Divergent.**

**Tris POV**

During the ride back home, Four and I rode in the backseat of Christina's car in a comfortable silence. Even though we're technically 'dating' now, we're not going to be like Will and Christina, who spend all day kissing.

On a sharp turn, my body shifts over so that I'm leaning on Four. I move my leg a little so that our thighs are touching, and rest my head on his shoulder. He looks over at me and smiles.

Before I know it, Christina drops me off at my house. No one's home, so I go straight upstairs and start showering.

**Four POV**

I watched Tris go into her house. She was so energetic, bouncing up her driveway and skipping into her house. She always has everyone's attention; it's like I can't take my eyes off her.

I say goodbye to Christina and Will and jog back into my house. My dad is in the kitchen, so I try to be as quiet as I can.

I shower carefully, avoiding the fresh scars on my back. I step out of the shower, dry myself off, and get dressed in boxers and an old t-shirt. When I look in the mirror, I notice I'm smiling. That's the effect Tris has on me. I wipe the smile off my face, but it keeps creeping its way back. Eventually, I stop fighting it.

I open the blinds, hoping Tris has hers open too. It's only been about half an hour, but it feels like it's been forever since I saw her.

I can see her sitting on her bed. She's reading a book and absentmindedly playing with her hair, a look of deep concentration across her face.

I smile at how cute she looks. I wish she'd look over. I should text her and tell her to look out the window.

I pull out my phone and start typing a text telling her to look over. Just before I can finish, Marcus bursts into my room, holding my dirty clothes. Oh god. I must've left them in the bathroom. I was so distracted thinking about Tris that I must've forgotten.

"Tobias, how many times have I told you to clean up after yourself?" He says it calmly, which only makes it even scarier.

"There is only one way you will learn from this, Tobias." He says, taking off his belt. He raises his arm, belt in hand, ready to strike. "This is for your own good." He says. The belt strikes the skin on my back. Pain shoots up my skin.

**Tris POV**

I'm rereading my favorite book, _The Fault in Our Stars_, when I notice some movement out of the corner of my eye. It came from Four's bedroom. I cross my room and lean against my windowsill, checking to see if Four is okay.

I squint a little to see better, and I see Marcus standing up looking incredibly stern. Four is cowering in the corner of his room.

What's going on?

I look a little closer and I notice that Marcus is taking off his belt.

What?

He raises his arm and slaps the belt down on Four's back. I flinch. He sends several kicks to Four's side until I just can't take it anymore.

I dash down the stairs, sprint out of my house, across the street, and into Four's house. Lucky for me, the front door is unlocked.

I go straight to Four's room, remembering exactly where it is from the last time I came over.

I open the door quietly. Marcus doesn't notice me because his back was facing the door. Four is nearly unconscious, his face pale and his fingers shaking. It pains me to see him like this. Marcus throws his hand back, ready to strike Four again with his belt. Just before the hard leather hits Four, I throw my wrist in front of him, absorbing the blow of the belt.

This seems to wake Four up. His eyes widen in shock, and he shoots up to his feet and grabs the belt from Marcus's hand, causing Marcus to lose his balance and stumble to the ground.

Four kicks him once in the side.

"Tobias, don't do this." Marcus says.

Tobias? Is that Four's real name?

**Tobias POV**

I'm almost unconscious on the floor when I see Tris storm into my room. It must be a hallucination. I get those sometimes.

I watch 'Tris' creep behind my dad, ready to stop him. I wish she were actually here.

Marcus raises his arm to whip me again, but Tris dashes in front of him and stops the belt with her wrist, leaving an ugly bloody gash.

That's when I realize this is all real. I have to protect Tris. I can't let Marcus hurt her.

I take the belt from Marcus's hand, causing him to fall to the ground. I start kicking him. He tries saying something to me, but I'm too angry to care.

All the rage from the past few years is bubbling back to the surface. I kick Marcus until he's unconscious.

Then, I fall to the floor, shaking. I can't believe I just did that.

I feel a hand on my back and jerk around quickly thinking that it's Marcus. Instead, I see Tris. I can't believe she just did that. She just stood up to Marcus. It's hard to keep the shock off my face. She knows about my dad and she's not looking at me like I'm some kind of kicked puppy.

She warily eyes Marcus's unconscious body lying on the ground.

"We should probably go. I'd hate to be here when he wakes up." I say.

"Yeah, let's go to my house." Tris offers.

We walk down the steps hand in hand. I still feel some pain in my back, but it's nothing compared to what I feel when I'm next to Tris; I'll endure the pain for her.

We get to her house quietly. We sneak up the stairs carefully so Tris's mom won't hear us. She opens the door to her room and I sit down on the bed. I'm not trying to be suggestive, I just can't take the pain from my back anymore.

Tris seems to notice this, because she asks me "Do you want some Advil?"

I nod my head, afraid that if I speak my voice will break, making me look weaker.

Tris goes downstairs and about five minutes later she returns with some Advil, a glass of water, gauze, scissors, tape, and rubbing alcohol.

I watch her struggle to put them all on her nightstand without dropping anything. I want to help her, but every time I move I can feel the cuts on my back opening a little more; getting a little deeper.

She hands me the Advil, and I take it without water, like the dauntless do it.

"I was thinking I could fix up your back. My mom taught me how to work with gauze and stuff in case of an accident." I can't let her do that. I don't want to look like I completely rely on her.

"It's fine." I say. "This isn't nearly as bad as other times." I say.

An awkward silence settles into the air.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Tris asks.

"No, I'm fine."

Tris gives me a look like if she doesn't believe me.

"I'm serious." I say eagerly. "I'd rather think about happy things, like the fact that I'm allowed to do this now." I say as I pull her onto my lap. She gives a lighthearted giggle that sends a wave of butterflies through my stomach.

I lean in and kiss the top of her nose lightly, causing her to giggle even more.

"I guess you know my real name now." I tell her.

"Yeah. Do you still want me to call you Four?"

I look at her appreciatively. She knows my real name makes me uncomfortable [mm1] and she respects that.

"Actually, it would be really nice to hear my real name again, but only use it when we're alone."

She nods her head.

"Would you mind if I… er… took off my shirt?" I ask. I don't want to make her uncomfortable, but the blood on my back is drying off and mixing in with my shirt. It's starting to hurt.

Her eyes widen. "Of course not! But you should probably shower. You wouldn't want those cuts to get infected."

"Okay."

She leads me to the bathroom and gives me a towel and a clean bar of soap.

I shower quickly, watching the blood from my back rinse down the drain in swirls of pink and red. If it weren't for the circumstances, I would actually say it was a pretty sight.

I rinse off and turn off the shower, making sure to leave no traces of blood in the bathtub. My back has already stopped bleeding, so I dry my whole body off with the towel. I look at the clothes I was wearing earlier on and notice that they're all stained with blood. I can't wear them. I tie the towel around my waist and walk out of the bathroom. I should probably ask Tris if I can borrow some clothes from her brother.

I walk into Caleb's room thinking it was Tris's room. He's reading a book on his bed, and he seems very surprised to see me in his room, wearing nothing but a towel.

"Oh my god you're naked! Were you sleeping with my sister?" he asks, clearly shocked.

I roll my eyes at him. "No. And by the way, I'm not naked, I'm wearing a towel."

"Same difference." He dismisses. "What are you doing here?"

"I slipped in some mud outside and I couldn't go back into my house to shower because I locked myself out." I say, inventing a quick lie on the spot. "Tris offered to let me shower here, but I don't have any clothes."

He seems convinced by my lie.

"So can I borrow some clothes?" He considers whether or not to lend me clothes. If I were him, I'd do it just because I wouldn't want a half-naked guy walking around my house trying to seduce my sister.

"Alright fine." He concedes.

Caleb goes over to his drawer and picks out the most nerdish clothes he owns, complete with a plaid polo shirt, and khakis. Oh god. He hands them over to me and snickers.

I take the clothes, head to the bathroom, and change into Caleb's nerdy outfit. I leave my clothes in a pile in Tris's room and walk into the living room where she's watching SpongeBob.

She takes one look at me and laughs.

"What happened to you?"  
"Your brother." I say simply. I don't really want to talk about it. Tris laughs again.

"Okay then." She says. "I asked my dad if you could stay over for dinner and he said yes. He'll be home in like two hours, so we can watch a movie until he gets here." She says, patting the couch.

I plop down right next to Tris and put my arm around her. At first, Tris tenses up. I feel like I've overstepped my boundaries, until Tris melts into my arms. I know I'm going to have to talk about what happened with Marcus, but I don't want to do that now. This moment is nearly perfect, and I don't want to ruin it.


	13. Chapter 13

I do not own Divergent or the quotes from the novel that I will be using in this chapter Tobias POV Tris and I settled down on the couch in the living room to watch High School Musical with blankets, pillows, and a bowl of popcorn. I sat down on the couch and Tris plopped down right beside me. She draped the blanket over both of us and leaned her head against my shoulder. I could feel the rhythm of her breathing against my side. She seemed so fragile. I still couldn't believe she stood up to Marcus, something I haven't been able to do until now. "Tris, I wanted to say thanks for standing up to Marcus for me. I know I probably seem like a coward for not doing it myself." I admitted. She rested her hand on my thigh and sighed. The simple touch made my heart race. "It's easier to be brave if they're not your fears." She said without looking me in the eye. I nodded. Tris POV I tried returning my attention to the movie, but it was no use with Tobias sitting right there besides me. He stretched his arm around my shoulder shyly, checking my expression to make sure I was okay with it. He's such a gentleman. I smiled and grabbed his arm, wrapping it snugly around my shoulders while snuggling into his chest. He ran his thumb along my cheek and planted his soft lips squarely on mine. I felt his lips shape into a smile. I moved even closer to him, letting our legs tangle together. I could feel sparks of electricity shooting up from every place that my body touched his. We broke apart for air, or at least we tried to. A lock of my hair was caught in one of the buttons of that ridiculous shirt Caleb lent Tobias. "Help! I'm stuck!" I told him. He looked down at my head which was now pressed tightly against his chest. He rubbed his chin as if he were considering his options. "Let's see. If I help you untangle your hair, then you'll be able to get off my lap and watch the movie." I look down to find that I am indeed sitting on his lap. I feel my cheeks redden. "But if I don't help you," he continues, "then you'll have to stay here snuggled up close to me. I think I know which option I prefer." His lips, which are now red from our previous make out session, twist into a grin. "Yeah, but then I won't be able to kiss you." I object. A frown takes over his face, and he gets to work on quickly untangling my hair from his shirt. "Glad that's out of the way." He says, leaning down to kiss me again. "Not quite yet." I tell him. I unbutton his shirt and slide it off his shoulders, feeling particularly dauntless. His eyes widen, a little surprised at what I just did, but he quickly recovers, replacing the shock with a sly smirk. Wow, those are abs. I knew he was fit, but looking at him right now he looks like an Abercrombie model. All of a sudden, I feel really self-conscious about how I look compared to him. What if he notices that I'm just small and puny and that I don't deserve him? Or what if he tries to sleep with me? All of a sudden, I feel like taking his shirt off was a bad idea. I turn away from him and he gives me a look of concern. "What's wrong?" he questions. "Sometimes I wonder what's in it for you. In this relationship." "What's in it for me," he repeats slowly, as if trying to make sense to the question. He shakes his head. "You're an idiot Tris." "I am not an idiot, which is why I know that it's a little weird that out of all the girls you could have chosen, you chose me. So if you're just looking for… um, you know… that…" "What, sex? You know if that was what I wanted you probably wouldn't have been the first girl I would've gone to." Of course not. Because I'm not pretty, or desirable. I'm just ordinary. I stand up. "I'm going up to my room." I consider kicking him out, but I'm not ruthless and I don't want him to get hurt. "No, Tris stop. That's not what I meant!" He stands up and grabs my wrist. I yank myself away from him and rest my hand on my hip, waiting for an explanation. "What I meant was," he continues slowly. "You're not like that. I've known that since I met you. I knew you weren't going to be easy, but you're worth it. Your worth all of it." He says, looking into my eyes with such intensity and desire that my heart flutters. He pulls me into his arms and we kiss a little more. My hands rest on the bare skin on his stomach and he wraps his arms around my back. At that exact moment, my dad walks in through the door. He stands frozen in the doorway, a look of utter shock across his face. All of a sudden, his face twisted into a scowl. He obviously disapproved of Tobias, and being caught in the living room with a shirtless Tobias obviously didn't help my case. A/N I'm back! Did you miss me? Well I'll be updating every Sunday from now on! REMEMBER TO REVIEW. 


	14. Chapter 14

**I do not own Divergent, but I did see the movie and it rocked!**

**Tris POV**

We were all currently sitting awkwardly around the dinner table, eating our mashed potatoes and chicken in an uncomfortable silence. When my dad walked in on Tobias and I kissing, he had been a little shocked and taken back at first, but he then welcomed Tobias into our home. He knew he couldn't be causing any trouble with Tobias since my dad works for Marcus.

Tobias looked up cautiously from his plate.

"Can you pass the butter, please?" he asked my mom.

My mom picked up the butter and handed it to my dad, who passed it off rather aggressively to Tobias. He obviously didn't like Tobias, but that didn't mean he had to treat him so badly.

"So, do you take any honors classes?" My dad asked Tobias. It felt more like and interrogation than a dinner.

"No, I'm more interested in sports." Tobias answered.

My dad mumbled something that sounded a lot like 'dumb jock' under his breath. That's when I decided to take a stand for Tobias. He cares too much about me and about what my family thinks of him to defend himself against my dad, so I have to defend him myself.

"Dad, stop. I'm tired of you treating Four so badly. I know that you don't like what you saw when you walked in here, but we're together now, and you have to accept that." Color rose to my cheeks at the mention of Tobias and I being 'together'. It was an uncomfortable topic to discuss with my parents, but I was willing to go there if it meant that my dad would stop bullying Tobias.

"Beatrice, how can you say that? How do you know what his intentions are?" My father asked incredulously.

"Mr. Prior, I care very deeply about your daughter." Tobias confronted my father. "I don't know what you think my intentions are, but I can assure you that I would never do anything to hurt her. Not on purpose." He said, casting a sheepish sideways glance towards me. He entwined my hand with his under the table, and I gave his hand a light reassuring squeeze. He was probably worried that he was overstepping his boundaries with my parents.

My dad was too shocked to say anything, so I just excused myself from the dinner table and directed Tobias towards my room.

I was still very flattered by what Tobias had said to my parents, but I didn't mention it. Tobias hardly ever showed much emotion towards anything, and I didn't want to embarrass him.

At ten o'clock, Tobias insisted on going home.

"Are you sure you don't want to stay in our guest bedroom? I don't want you going back home to your dad." I pleaded.

"I appreciate that you care, but I'm going to have to decline your offer. If I stay here over night, your dad's going to suspect we 'did it'. I'd rather go home to my dad than have to break up with you because your father doesn't approve." He said.

I wasn't really sure he was making a wise choice. He could either have safety or me right now, and he was choosing me. I tried convincing him otherwise, but there was no chance.

He took my face in his palms and bent down so that our faces were inches apart. His deep blue eyes felt like they were digging into my soul.

"Tris, I'll see you tomorrow, okay?" He planted an endearing kiss on my forehead, almost sensing my worry. What if this was the night that his father truly lost it and did something terrible to him?

He made his way to my window, unlocked it, and easing the glass panel wide open, he swung his leg over the ledge.

"You know you can use the front door, right?" I chuckled.

"Now where's the fun in that?" He answered in true bad boy style. Swinging his other leg over the ledge, he took a giant leap off of my windowsill, and I watched him land gracefully on both feet.

He looked up at my room, cupped his hands around his mouth, and said "Tomorrow, Tris. I'll be here. I promise. I won't let him do anything to me." He didn't have to yell for me to hear because there was an eerie silence taking over our street. I watched him sprint across the street and into his house. He lied. There was no 'tomorrow'. I didn't see him again that summer.

A/N Sorry for the short chapter I'll have the next one up super soon.


	15. Chapter 15

**I do not own Divergent **

_**Tobias POV**_

_At the beginning of the school year_

I unloaded my bags from the trunk of my father's car and handed them to my father's assistant, Jenna. She's about twenty years old, a brunette, and she is constantly flirting with me. Normally, I'd have my fun with her, but today all I can think about is Tris. I knew it was wrong to think about her, I wasn't supposed to let myself think of her, but I still did.

_Stop it Tobias. _I told myself. _If you date her, if you kiss her, if you even look at her, and your dad finds out, then she's as good as dead._

The last night that I saw Tris, after I got home, my father was waiting for me in the living room. He knew all about Tris and I, and he made a very real threat. If I didn't cut off any contact with her, my dad was going to kill her. He said that since hurting me wouldn't actually _hurt_ me anymore, he was going to have to start hurting the people I love. Yeah, he said that. He said I love Tris. I wasn't so sure I _loved_ her, but I knew I could if I got enough time. She was- no, _is, _really important to me.

My dad claimed that he wanted me to stay away from her because since her dad worked for my dad, it was bad for his business. Really, I think he'll do anything to stop me from being happy.

I finished giving my bags to Jenna, and I watched her walk away, slinging my duffel over her shoulder and wheeling my two remaining suitcases across the pavement. Without saying a word to my dad, I walked off towards the on-campus Ghirardelli where I'm supposed to meet up with all my friends at the beginning of every school year.

I walk in and sit at a table with Zeke, Marlene, Lynn, Uriah, Will, Christina, and… _Tris?_ What is she doing here?

She gives me a relieved smile when she sees me. She probably thought my dad killed me or something since I hadn't answered any of her calls ever since the last time I saw her. She walks over to me and wraps her arms around my shoulders in a tight embrace, the relief evident in her posture.

I feel so bad for what I'm about to do, but it has to be done.

"Ew! Get off me you little slut. For the last time, I'm not interested in whatever it is you want me to do with you." I say, faking a disgusted tone and trying to ignore how fast my heart is beating from our simple hug. I tried to insult her in the best possible way, because she and I both know that out of all the bad names I could've called her, a slut is the least valid one. Maybe she'll catch on and figure out that I'm just doing this to protect her. Either that or she'll think that I believe I'm above her and that I don't want to be seen with her publicly.

I wish I could just ask her to meet me at my room so I could explain, but my dad told me he has people working for him everywhere throughout the school. He'll find out if anything goes on between Tris and I.

A look of confusion crosses Tris's face and she steps away from me. From the table behind us, Lauren stands up and laughs coldly.

"You really thought you were special, didn't you, little girl? Well let me give you a news flash: you're about as plain as they come. Isn't that right, Four?" Lauren asks cruelly.

Tris looks up at me expectantly. I can see the last shred of hope in her eyes; hope that maybe I didn't mean anything that I just said, that we could go back to normal.

I try to stop the anger from flooding my veins and try even harder to stop myself from defending Tris. I know she's strong, I know she can defend herself, but I don't want her to have to go through all this alone. What if she starts believing everything I'm telling her?

I can't trust myself to say another mean thing about Tris and to sound convincing at the same time, so I just nod my head.

Tris storms out of the room with Christina following suit. Lauren wraps her arm around my shoulder, and I don't shake her off. Maybe, if I keep her near me when Tris is watching, then Tris won't try to talk to me. As much as Tris hates Lauren, I know she'll respect my choices no matter what they are.

I look up at my friends to see that they're all frowning at me. I try to sit down, but when I do, they all get up and leave. Zeke casts me a disapproving look on his way out.

**Tris POV**

I sit down on my dorm floor and stare at the dull beige paint coating the walls. Why was Tobias acting like this? I thought he liked me, but clearly, I was just some summer fling, nothing special.

I hear the door creak open and look up quickly, hoping that Tobias is here to apologize. No such luck, instead it's Zeke and Christina. They plop down on either side of me and lean their backs against the wall.

"I'm sure he didn't mean that." Zeke says, sympathetically resting his hand on my shoulder. "He couldn't have meant it. You have _no idea _how much he talked about you. He would go on and on about your eyes and your smile and _blah, blah, blah. _I was concerned he was turning into a girl!"

I couldn't help but smile at this. I guess at some point, I was important to him, but obviously not anymore. I took a deep breath. I couldn't jump to conclusions without hearing his side of the story. I'd already made that mistake once.

"Chris, can you do me a huge favor?" I asked Christina.

"Depends."

"Can you ask Four to meet me behind this building at nine o'clock today?"

"Okay, but I can't promise he'll come." She conceded.

"Perfect."

_At nine o'clock_

I waited patiently under the small overhang behind the building and tried to protect myself from the rain.

The weather man had predicted that there would be a fifteen percent chance of rain tonight, so of course, it was raining cats and dogs.

I looked up and saw a figure dressed head to toe in black jogging towards me in the rain. At first I thought it was a robber, but then I saw Tobias's deep blue eyes look up at me.

"You're soaked." I said once he finally reached me. Was it just me, or did he look really on edge. He was whispering, as if trying not to be heard, and he kept looking around nervously, as if trying not to be seen

**Tobias POV**

"You're soaked." She said.

"That's what happens when you walk half a mile in the rain." _but I'd do it for you, Tris. I'd walk a hundred miles in the rain if I could be with you. But I can't._ I wish I could've said the last part, but I needed to be selfless. Tris's life was in danger.

"So what do you want?" I asked coldly. Tris looked a bit taken back at my attitude, but she continued anyways.

"I wanted to know why you acted so mean earlier. I'm really trying not to jump to conclusions here, but it's hard." She said cautiously and slowly.

My heart broke a million times for her, and a million more for what I was about to do, but it had to be done.

"Isn't it obvious? I played you, and you fell for it. Maybe I couldn't get you to sleep with me, but I got pretty damn close. You're an idiot for thinking that you ever had a chance with me, and for thinking I'd chose you over Lauren. I just wanted to see how far I could push you, but now, it's over. Done. I'm not interesred anymore, so don't even try to get close to me." I spat. The words sounded cruel and foreign on my lips. I had to bite my cheek to keep myself from apologizing to her or kissing her or both. I bit through the skin on my cheek and tasted blood.

"Okay then, fine. Whatever. I don't need you. There are tons of other boys that want to be with me. You'll see. I'm not as undesirable as you think."

I knew that was true. As soon as Tris and I were over, tons of boys would probably swarm her. The thought made blood rush through my veins. I had never felt as much jealousy as I did right there and then.

She opened the backdoor of the building and stormed in, slamming the door on my face. I could still smell a faint scent of strawberry lingering in the air; the smell of her shampoo. I allowed myself to take a deep breath of it. That was the last time I would smell that strawberry smell again. That was a promise.


	16. Chapter 16

**I do not own Divergent**

**A\N Should I wrote this story from a third person POV? Review!**

**Tobias POV**

The next three weeks were absolute torture. I only had two classes with Zeke, and I had all my classes with Tris. All. Of. Them.

I had to watch Al and Uriah flirt countlessly with her. However, she always ignored them. Maybe she was still hung up on me, just like I was hung up on her.

I felt a pair of arms wrap around my waist in the hallway where I was standing. I knew it was Lauren, but if I closed my eyes, I could pretend that it was Tris who was holding on to me, not Lauren.

That's how I got through most of my relationship with Lauren.

Yes, you heard right, _relationship._

Lauren wouldn't leave me alone until I said yes, so I had to accept. At least she could keep Tris away from me. So far, I've kissed Lauren exactly once, and I don't plan on doing it again. I don't think she'll mind, because we both know she doesn't actually like me, she's just doing it for the attention.

I heard the bell ring and walked into Spanish class.

Our teacher passed out our textbooks, and we started the class. Or at least, we tried starting the class. The only person paying attention to Ms. Reguera was poor Fernando, who, as an Erudite, _always payed attention._

My attention wanders over to Tris, who had pulled out her phone and started texting. I watch her fingers fly furiously over her keyboard, and can't help but wonder what she is texting about. Whatever it is, she must be pretty fed up about it.

I was so infatuated by Tris that I hadn't even noticed the teacher sneak up behind Tris until she had taken Tris's phone out of Tris's hands.

"_Señorita Prior, no puedes tener tu teléfono afuera durante la clase. Pero como no te importan las reglas, a mi no me importaría leerle tus mensajes a la clase."_

"Um… what?" Tris asked. The class snickered. She obviously wasn't good at Spanish, and neither was I. Yet somehow, we both got placed in AP Spanish.

"I'm going to read your messages to the class." The teacher said, rolling her eyes.

"No, please don't. It's private. Really. I promise I won't do it again." Tris pleaded.

The teacher continued anyways

"Tris: I'm so bored, why can't the whole world just speak English?

"Christina: I know right, murder me. By the way, how's it going with Four?

"Tris: I have every single class with him, it's getting so hard not to punch him in the face."

At this, the teacher snickered. I lowered my eyes and told myself to ignore it. I had to ignore everything Tris did, everything Tris said. I couldn't let myself care. But no matter how hard I tried I still cared.

"Christina: I thought you still liked him.

"Tris: I do. Just a little. But don't tell anyone."

The teacher continued reading, but I wasn't listening. Tris still liked me! It wasn't too late to save our relationship! There had to be something I could do to convince my dad to let me be with her.

I wracked my brain all day until finally, at lunch time, I came up with a very convincing argument. But first I had to call my dad, and I had to do it in private because if the lunch monitors saw me, they'd confiscate my phone.

"I have to go to the bathroom." I said to anyone who was listening. These days, I sit with Zeke, some guys from football, and the cheerleaders (including Lauren).

"Want me to go with you?" Lauren asked seductively.

The only place I wanted her to go was on a plane with a one way ticket to hell.

"I'm fine, thanks though." I answered politely.

I walked into the bathroom, pulled out my phone, and called my dad.

"Dad? I was just calling to tell you something about Tris." I normally never call my dad 'dad', but I really need him on my side right now

"Go ahead." My dad grumbled.

"Well, Tris seems pretty upset that I'm being mean to her, and I figured that since you don't want her dad to be upset, maybe I should stop being mean to her." I suggested kindly.

"Then stop being mean to her." My dad said. My heart leaped. I did it! We could be together!

"Thanks dad! I knew you'd be nice enough to let me date her." I lied. I didn't even think he was going to pick up the phone.

"I'm _not _nice enough to let you date her. You guys can be friends, but that's it." My dad answered cruelly. I didn't get the chance to argue with him, because he hung up immediately.

Still, being friends with Tris was better than being mean to her. It also meant that I could finally dump Lauren.

When I walked out of the bathroom, Tris was in the hallway drinking water from the fountain. I walked up to her and gave her a light tap on the back. She spun around quickly, obviously startled.

She crossed her arms and cocked her hip

"What do you want? Are you going to call me a slut again?" I swallowed. This was going to be hard. How could I explain the way I had acted? I couldn't tell her it was because of my father, because then she would insist that we call the police, or maybe she'd date me anyways, convinced that she can protect herself.

"I wanted to apologize for how I've been acting." I told her, looking into her eyes.

She exhales. "I just don't understand why you'd say all those things to me if you didn't mean them."

"I made a mistake. Just believe me. It was all a misunderstanding."

She shakes her head and looks down at the ground. "I thought you were dead." She says quietly. "I thought your dad had killed you. Turns out you might as well have been dead, because the Four I met during the summer is gone. Your acting so much like your -"

She didn't finish her sentence, obviously trying to spare my feelings, but it was no use. We both knew what she was going to say. I'm acting like my father.

This summer, her face used to light up brighter than the sun whenever she saw me. Now, she looks like she's bracing herself from me. I feel cruel, like my father.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean that." She rushes to correct herself.

"No its okay, I know I'm acting really badly, but that's going to change. I promise." I say, wrapping my arms around her shoulders.

She sinks her face into my chest and takes a deep breath. My stomach fluttered and my heart raced.

"So, are we getting back together?" she asks hopefully.

I let out a long sigh and run my hand through my hair. "I can't."

Her face falls and she unwraps herself from my arms. "Is it because of Lauren?"

"No. I don't even like Lauren. I've only kissed her once this whole time we were dating. She doesn't even like me, she's doing it all for the popularity."

"You've been dating her for three weeks. Is that what you do to all of us? Do you just lead us on for a while and then dump us for fun?" She asks angrily.

Oh god. I was really screwing this up. I didn't know what to say, I thought she was going to yell at me when she started laughing.

"You should've seen your face!" she says in between giggles. "I saw Lauren begging you to date her. I would've said yes too just to have her off my back"

Relief floods my veins.

"So we're cool, as friends?"

"Sure." Tris answers. She looks the same way I feel; hopeless.


	17. Chapter 17

**I don't own Divergent, but I do have Ansel Elgort in my basement, so who's the real winner here**

**Tris POV**

_One week later_

When I was six years old, I had a huge crush on the thirteen year old boy who used to babysit me. One day, while he was babysitting, I made him a cute little invitation to get married to me. He laughed (a lot) and rudely declined using a particularly explicit choice of words that I didn't understand at that age. It wouldn't have been that bad if he hadn't continued to come over and babysit my brother and I. Every single time he would come over, I could practically taste the awkwardness in the air.

The past week with Four has been even more awkward, especially since Zeke and Four have been sitting at my lunch table every single day.

This time at lunch, Four decided to sit next to me. I'm really confused about him, because sometimes, I'll catch him staring at me like he wants to kiss me or something, but when I move in to kiss him, he'll just look away and pretend it never happened.

I'm not sure if it would be okay for me to move on from him. Uriah asked me out to a party in two weeks (as friends, of course) and I don't know whether to accept or decline. Something in my gut tells me Four still likes me, but he's keeping it a secret. Why would he be doing that?

My thoughts are interrupted by Zeke.

"I almost forgot to tell you guys, today after school, all the dauntless are playing capture the flag near the lake. It starts at eight." Zeke says.

"Sounds like fun. Are you going?" I ask Four.

"Yeah, I'm a team captain." He answers.

At seven thirty, Christina and I leave our dorm and sneak out past the school gates and onto the railroad tracks located about half a mile from our school. The whole way there, Christina is complaining about how uncomfortable her shoes are. She's wearing black stilettos, a black miniskirt, and a black strapless top. Definitely not the kind of outfit you need to play capture the flag.

We meet up with about fifty other dauntless members at the railroad tracks. We were all waiting for the train to come so we can all hop on.

I grabbed my paintball gun from a big pile in the middle of the woods and settled down on the ground next to Four, while Christina went to go find Will.

"Hi." Four said quietly.

"Hey."

"Wow, this is awkward." I admit after a long pause.

"Yeah, I noticed, I just didn't know how to break the ice." He confesses.

"Maybe we should talk about what happened." I answered.

"Nah, we're fine." He answered. He was obviously trying to change the conversation.

I would've kept pressing for information if it weren't for the fact that the train was approaching, and I had to jump on.

Tobias raced ahead of me and jumped on. I was almost there when I tripped on a branch sticking out of the ground. I fell on my face, and I could feel blood gushing from my nose, but I still hustled back onto my feet. At this point, everyone on the train was looking at me. They were all chanting my name, hoping for me to catch up. I pumped my arms and raced towards the train, not even noticing when the ground beneath my feet changed from dirt and grass to pavement. I was on the bridge, and soon enough, there would be no more ground for me to run on.

I sprinted as fast as I could. I only needed to get another step in front of the train to be able to jump. I ran faster until I saw that the platform I was running on was about to end. Once the platform ended, there was a fifty foot drop and a cement floor to 'cushion' my fall. I didn't know if I could make it to the train by jumping, but I had too much momentum to stop myself, so I leaped towards the train.

My fingers brushed against the handle, but it wasn't enough to get a good grip. I fell. Or at least, I thought I would fall, if it weren't for a pair of strong arms grabbing on to me. I looked up to see Four's blue eyes staring back at me. He smirked and pulled me up onto the train car.

However, he must've underestimated his strength because he pulled me up with such force that we both tumbled backwards and onto the ground. I landed on top of him. Our faces were both so close together that our noses were inches away from touching.

Four ruined the moment by laughing. He laughed like a madman for about a minute straight until I started laughing too. I couldn't help it; his laughter was contagious.

"Wow stiff, I really thought you were going to die." He said once the laughter had died down.

That's another thing that's changed ever since we became 'friends'. He keeps calling me stiff. It's a cruel reminder that I only just transferred to Dauntless this year, and that I don't belong. Not yet.

"Don't call me that." I tell him.

"Okay." He responds obediently. That was a shock. I didn't actually expect him to comply. "Time to jump."

Jumping off the train was easy and graceful, unlike jumping _onto _it.

Since Four and I were the only people on the last train, all the dauntless had already assembled in the middle of a clearing in the woods.

Four and Eric started picking teams.

"I pick Edward." Eric declared

"Tris." Four replied simply.

**A\N I PROMISE FOURTRIS IN THE NEXT CHAPTER IF I GET 140 REVIEWS! SORRY BOUT THE FILLER CHAPTER.**


	18. Chapter 18

**I don't own divergent.**

**A\N You should read my new fanfic that I'm writing with my friend Paige. It's called **_**Too Cool for School**_**. **

**Tobias POV**

After Eric and I have picked our teams, my team and I jump off the train. We head towards a swampy clearing that has an abandoned Ferris wheel and a carousel sitting right in the middle. We hide the flag in the carousel.

My team starts arguing about what our strategy should be. Some people think we should be more offense, others think we should be more defense. I separate myself from them and just wait until one of them comes up with a reasonable thing to do. All they're accomplishing by arguing is wasting time.

I notice that Tris isn't trying to get her point across to the rest of the group. In fact, she's not even with the rest of the group. She started walking towards the Ferris wheel.

I sneak up behind her and watch her test her weight on one of the rungs.

"Tris." I tell her to alert her of my presence.

"Yes?"

"I came to find out what you think you're doing." I tell her.

"I'm seeking higher ground." She says. "I don't _think_ I'm doing anything."

I smile at her attitude. She's so sure of herself. Of course, she's also very intelligent, it must be easy to be so confident when you know what you're doing.

"Alright, I'm coming." I announce.

"I'll be fine." She says. She thinks I want to go with her because I think she's weak and that she'll hurt herself. I know that's not the case. I want to come along because I want to be with her, and because I need to face my fear of heights.

"Undoubtedly." I reply.

We climb to the top of the Ferris wheel making light-hearted conversation. I'm not sure exactly when, but somewhere in between fifty and a hundred feet, my fear of heights became very present.

I could feel my breaths shortening and I was grabbing onto the metal rungs of the Ferris wheel so tightly that my knuckles were turning white.

"Are you okay?" Tris asked from above me.

"Are you _human, _Tris?" I gasped out. "Being up this high, it doesn't scare you _at all_?"

She looked down to the ground and smiled. She was enjoying this. The height was waking her up. I could see the energy in her eyes.

Suddenly a strong gust of wind took her body by surprise. She gasped as she was blown sideways by the wind. I reacted quickly in spite of my fear by pressing my hand onto her back to keep her stable. My fingers found a part of her skin that wasn't covered by any clothes, and where our skin touched I could feel sparks of electricity.

Being up so high already had adrenaline coursing through my veins and energy running through my body, but the energy I felt when I touched Tris was different; it felt good.

I kept my hand on her back a few more seconds than what was socially acceptable until I finally noticed what I was doing and let go. We kept climbing.

Finally, we reached a metal platform at the very top of the Ferris wheel.

"See that right their?" She asks, pointing to a glowing dot off in the distance.

"Yeah."

"That's where there flag is." She states.

"Then let's go get it." I move to start climbing down the rungs again.

"Wait! Four!" She calls out.

"What?" I ask.

"It's been a while since I've been able to speak to you alone, and there's something I have to ask you."

"Go ahead." I tell her.

"I was wondering why you keep insisting that we should only be friends."

"It's because we're better off as friends." I reply.

"No we're not! Look, I know you still like me, even if it's just a little. Christina tells me that you're always staring at me when I'm not paying attention and Zeke says that you keep him up all night because you keep calling for me in you sleep. And I know that you felt something during that kiss we had before. I don't get it!" If it would've been any other girl under any other circumstances, she would've sounded pushy, or desperate, but not Tris. She knows what she's saying is right, and I know it too, but I can't admit it.

I study her under the moonlight. She has a wild look in her eyes, her skin is glistening with sweat, and her hair is absolutely crazy, but she couldn't have looked more beautiful to me.

Without registering what I'm doing, I lean in and give her a quick peck on the lips. The kiss leaves us both wanting more, so I lean in again, but this time I kiss her harder. She sits on my lap and straddles my waist.

All of a sudden, I remember what I'm doing and I remember that I'm hundreds of feet up in the air.

"I can't do this." I tell her.

"Why not?" She looks heartbroken.

"Because we're friends." I say sternly.

"So you wouldn't be jealous if I went to that party with Uriah next Saturday?" She's testing me, trying to provoke some kind of emotion out of me. She's trying to determine whether I care or not.

And even though it kills me, I tell her "Of course I wouldn't, you guys would look so cute together."

I know she doesn't actually want to go with Uriah (they're practically siblings) but she'll still go with him just to prove a point. She always has been stubborn.

We climb down the Ferris wheel with no problem. Once we get back to our group, Tris immediately takes control.

"Alright, here's what we'll do, split in half. Four of us go to the right side of the pier, three go to the left. The other team is in the park at the end of the pier, so the larger group will charge as the group of three sneaks up behind the other team to get the flag." She orders.

"Sounds good." Says one of the dauntless born.

We carry out our plan as instructed and Tris ends up getting the other teams flag.

On the train car home, I watch her and Uriah play with the paintballs they've emptied out from the paintball guns.

After Uriah pops a paintball in Tris's face, they end up on the floor locked into an extreme tickle fight. After the laughter dies down, I can barely make out what they're saying over the noise of the train car, but I do catch the important parts.

"So what do you say about coming with me to that party…?" Uriah asks.

"Sure..." Tris answers.

**Tris POV**

"So what do you say about coming with me to that party next Saturday?" Uriah asks me.

I really don't feel like going to any parties with anyone that isn't Four, but I need to prove to him that I don't need him, or at least show him what he's missing out on,

"Sure, but only as friends." I respond.

**A\N There were some Divergent quotes here. Don't forget to check out my new story **_**Too Cool for School**_**.**


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